Unearthed Secrets
by marine-machine
Summary: A tragedy befalls Gibbs and one of his bestkept secrets is released to the team. The case will make or break the bond the team has formed over the years. Tony makes an announcement...as does Gibbs!....Chapter 30 NOW UP! FIN!
1. Chapter 1

**Unearthed Secrets**

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, they are not mine...apart from the ones you don't recognise, I made them up

Rating: T

Summary: A tragedy befalls Gibbs and one of his best-kept secrets is released to the team. The case will make or break the bond the team has formed over the years...

* * *

Tony looked up from his computer and watched as one of the new agents, Lisa, slowly made her way to the bullpen. Chewing on the end of his pencil, he admired her long tanned legs and her short blonde hair. She was carrying a stack of papers and was reading through an open file as she walked, concentrating deeply on its content. Tony slowly got up from his desk and made his way to her, and 'accidentally' bumped into her.

"Sorry," Tony said, kneeling down to help her pick up her papers, "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Lisa laughed lightly, "That's okay, I wasn't either."

Tony gave her his charming smile and got the rest of the papers together and handed them over to her, "Well, I'm Tony."

"Lisa," she replied and held out her hand.

"Hi," Tony said, shaking her hand, "So, how long have you been working here?"

"A week. But you already know that, Tony DiNozzo," she replied with a smile, "I've been warned about you."

Tony laughed and stood up, Lisa following suit. "Who? Me? I think you have the wrong person."

"No, I'm sure I have the right person. You are Tony DiNozzo, aren't you? They said the good-looking Italian who worked …" Lisa said.

"They said I was good-looking?" Tony asked with a big smile.

"DiNozzo! You got Carr's financial records yet?" Gibbs asked, not looking up from his computer.

Tony looked over his shoulder at Gibbs with a pained expression on his face, "Not yet, boss."

Gibbs raised his eyes to meet Tony's and glared at him, "Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Right, on it boss." Tony said and turned back to Lisa.

"Well, guess I'll see you around." Lisa said and walked off.

Tony watched her leave, then slowly turned around and went back to his desk. He glared at Gibbs for a while before returning to his work.

"Yeah, Gibbs." Gibbs answered his phone.

Tony looked up from his screen and watched Gibbs, hoping they didn't have another body. Gibbs went pale and listened intently to the other person.

"He what?" Gibbs whispered.

Tony exchanged glances with Kate and turned his attention back to Gibbs, who was rubbing his head.

"Yeah, I understand." Gibbs said and hung up, "DiNozzo! You're in charge until I get back."

"When will that be, boss?" Tony asked, trying to get some kind of information.

Gibbs stood up and grabbed his jacket, "Just do it, Tony. I need to go." he said as he ran out of the bullpen.

"Is everything okay?" Kate asked.

Gibbs didn't appear to hear her. Kate and Tony watched as Gibbs hit the elevator button a few times, before taking the stairs.

"That was strange." Kate commented.

"Yeah, but then, Gibbs is strange, Kate." Tony replied.

* * *

Kate looked up from her monitor and looked at the clock. Gibbs had been gone for two and a half hours and Kate was beginning to get worried. Whilst it wasn't unlike Gibbs to leave the office for a few hours without giving anyone a reason, she knew something was wrong. His reaction to that phone call was enough to convince her that something was up. Then he ran out of the office, Gibbs only ran when he was chasing a suspect or when something was wrong.

Kate frowned and rubbed her face. She'd already tried ringing him several times, but he wasn't answering her calls. Kate sighed and tried to concentrate on her work. She heard the elevator ding and absently looked up.

When the doors opened, Gibbs stepped out and slowly walked to the bullpen. His eyebrows were crossed in deep concentration and he still looked pale.

Tony watched Gibbs enter the bullpen and got up, meeting him at his desk, "I've got Carr's financial records, turned out he extracted $20,000 three hours before he died. I'm still looking into where the money may have gone. I've also pulled up Carr's phone records and found somebody who has called him at least eight times everyday"

Gibbs gave him an absent look and frowned, "Who?"

Tony frowned, "Carr, Petty Officer Carr, our dead marine. You know, the guy whose murder we are investigating."

Gibbs nodded, "Right, good work." he said as he walked out of the bullpen in the direction of the head.

Tony watched him go, then turned to Kate, with a concerned expression on his face, "Well, whatever happened was bad. I mean, tell me what was wrong with that situation"

Kate looked at Tony and agreed, "Don't you think you should see if he's okay?"

"Yeah" Tony agreed, "Probie! Go see if Gibbs is okay."

"I don't have a death wish, Tony. Besides you're his 'senior field agent', that should come under your job description, not mine." McGee replied.

Tony frowned, then sighed and headed towards the bathroom. What he saw when he opened the door shocked him, he hadn't expected this in all the time he'd worked at NCIS. Gibbs was in one of the cubicles, kneeling in-front of the toilet, throwing up. Tony slowly walked in, feeling awkward. He crouched behind Gibbs and rubbed his back.

Gibbs coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he looked over his shoulder at Tony, "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if you're okay," Tony responded, removing his hand from Gibbs' back.

"I'm fine," Gibbs croaked, "Leave me alone."

"You don't look fine," Tony responded.

Gibbs sighed as he stood up and walked past Tony to the sink.

"So, what happened? Why did you leave in such a hurry earlier?" Tony asked.

"What is this? Twenty questions? You trying to be my mother, Tony? Because it doesn't suit you." Gibbs said.

"Just answer the question, Gibbs." Tony said.

Gibbs washed his hands and splashed his face, "Don't you have work to do, DiNozzo?"

"Stop avoiding giving me an answer. What happened?" Tony asked.

"It's none of your business. Now, go back to work and leave me alone." Gibbs responded.

"No." Tony refused.

"What?" Gibbs asked and glared at him.

"Not until you tell me." Tony stated.

"You'll be here a long time then." Gibbs told him.

"I can wait." Tony responded.

Gibbs sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "It's personal, okay? We…I had an emergency and I had to leave to attend to it."

"Gibbs, 'had' is past-tense." Tony stated.

"You're point, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, getting frustrated.

"If it's been dealt with, then why do you still look so stressed?" Tony asked.

Gibbs was saved from answering when his cell rang. He almost dropped his cell in his haste to answer it, "Gibbs."

Tony tried to hear the person on the other end of the phone, but Gibbs walked away so that Tony could only hear one side of the conversation.

"No, I haven't seen him in at least twenty years and as far as I'm concerned, he's dead. Why are you asking about him?" Gibbs asked, then his face lost the little colour that it had gained over the last few minutes, "Really? What proof do you have?"

Tony leaned against the sink and folded his arms, trying to fill in the blanks.

"Any other leads?" Gibbs asked, pacing back and forth, "Ok. Is there anything I can do?" Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and studied the ceiling, "Ok" he sighed, "If you hear anything…?" Gibbs nodded and hung up. He continued staring at the ceiling for a while, then looked at Tony, before walking out of the bathroom.

* * *

That's it for Chapter 1... Please review! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Unearthed Secrets**

Disclaimer: In the first chapter

Rating: T

AN: Thankyou for you reviews, its really appreciated!

Also, a thankyou to Kate for all of her help and inspiration

* * *

Gibbs wasn't in the bullpen when Tony returned from the bathroom.

"Well, what happened?" Kate asked, standing up.

Tony shrugged, "He wouldn't tell me. He said it was personal and that he'd had an emergency. Where is he now?"

"M-tac" Kate replied.

McGee stood up, "I think I know who murdered Carr"

Kate and Tony turned to face him, "Care to share, Probie?" Tony asked.

McGee walked into the centre of the bullpen and put some pictures on the plasma, "This here is Mr. Luke Kopas, he went to school with Carr five years ago. In their final year, Carr dated Kopas' now wife. At the time, Kopas and the woman were only good friends; it wasn't until a few years ago that he started to get jealous of Carr. Kopas started sending threatening letters and following him around…"

"Got any evidence for this McGee?" Kate asked.

"Yeah" McGee replied, then flicked through papers on his desk.

"We really need to get you a good filing system, Probie" Tony commented.

"This works just fine, Tony, I can find everything" McGee replied, "Ah, here it is. These are print-outs of his emails; Abby and I traced the IP addresses to the server and managed to find out who held the account. Kopas had the account under his mother's name. I also have some of the letters and a police report filed by Carr early last year"

"What about his financial records and phone records?" Tony asked.

McGee sighed, "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Kate frowned, "What about under his mother's name?"

"Haven't checked it yet." McGee replied with a grin

"Tony, you're in charge until I get back." Gibbs said. It seemed that he'd gotten back from M-tac unnoticed and was now sitting behind his desk.

Tony frowned, "Technically you haven't come back yet, boss."

Gibbs gave Tony a blank look, then snapped out of it, "Yeah. I'm going to be away for a few days, I've just cleared it with the director. I don't know how long I'll be."

Kate and Tony exchanged worried looks, wondering what was going on, Gibbs never took leave. He didn't even take Christmas day or New Years off.

Gibbs turned off his computer and gathered his gear, "Don't burn the place down, DiNozzo, I expect it in one piece when I return."

"Yes, dad." Tony replied rolling his eyes.

Gibbs stopped packing his stuff and glared at Tony, "Just don't do anything stupid. Kate, keep an eye on him, make sure he stays out of trouble."

Kate frowned and went to stand in-front of his desk, "Is everything okay?"

Gibbs leveled his eyes at her, "No, it's not, nothing is."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kate asked.

"No, I don't." Gibbs replied, picking up his bag and walking out of the bullpen.

"Wonder what that was about." McGee stated.

"We all do, Probie." Tony responded.

As Gibbs entered the elevator, he almost bumped into Ducky, who was on his way to the bullpen.

"Ah, Jethro, just the man I wanted to see." Ducky said.

"Not now, Duck." Gibbs responded and pressed the button for the car park.

Ducky frowned, then got back in the elevator, "Are you okay?"

"Why do people keep asking me that?" Gibbs asked the ceiling.

"Because you look like hell frozen over. Now what's wrong?" Ducky replied.

"I don't have time for this." Gibbs said.

"Oh yes you do." Ducky responded, pressing the emergency button and bringing the elevator to a stop, "Talk."

Gibbs stared at ceiling and shook his head, "No."

"Jethro, I'm not letting you leave until you tell me. So if you're in a hurry, I suggest you stop wasting time and talk." Ducky said.

Gibbs bit his lip and looked at Ducky, taking a deep breath.

* * *

Tony started the sedan and pulled out of the car park. McGee had checked Kopas' mother's financial records to find that she'd received $20,000 from an anonymous person. Furthermore, her phone records revealed that Kopas had made several calls to Carr everyday. Kate and Tony were on their way to the Kopas residence to arrest and charge him with Carr's murder. McGee and another agent from the field had gone to Kopas' work to see if he was there.

"So, what was that whole thing with Lisa about?" Kate asked

Tony frowned and looked at her momentarily before directing his gaze out the window again, "Had to give them something. Just keeping up the pretense, honey" Tony replied

Kate narrowed her eyes at him, "That'd better be all it is"

Tony smirked, "You are so insecure. If I hadn't _hit_ on her within her first week of being here, people would start to suspect something. I have a reputation to uphold"

"You could've been more discreet about it" Kate insisted

Tony looked at her, "Now why would I do that? 'Leering by definition is not supposed to be subtle'"

Kate grunted and looked out the window.

Kate and Tony had been in a relationship for the past two months. So far, nobody at the office knew about their little romance, not even Ducky or Abby. Everything had remained the same at work, well mostly, they bantered a lot more at work than they used to. They hadn't realised their true feelings for each other until Tony almost died from pneumonic plague. Since then, they'd been inseparable, or at least as much as they could be, without causing undue attention.

Tony looked back to Kate again and studied her for a while before returning his attention to the road. He reached across and put his hand on her knee, "Hey, you still up for dinner and movies tonight?"

Kate looked at him and smiled, "Absolutely. What do you wanna see?"

"Well, what's on?" Tony asked

She shrugged, "I have no idea"

"Maybe we should just decide when we get there" Tony suggested

"Sounds good. Any preferences for dinner?" Kate asked

"Steak and chips" Tony replied without hesitation, "Haven't had that in at least…"

"…Four days" Kate finished his sentence for him

Tony scoffed, "That wasn't steak, that was, like, something posing as a steak, but was really something else"

Kate smiled, "Yeah, tasted more like…"

"A grilled rat" Tony finished for her

"You've tasted that?" Kate asked

Tony gave her a blank look, "Nope. But that's probably what it would taste like"

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and was about to respond when her cell rang, "Todd"

"Agent Todd, it's Agent Stanson, I was working with Agent McGee" the person on the end of the phone introduced themselves

"Yes, I remember. What's the problem?" Kate asked

"Well, there's no problem, as such. We just caught the bastard; he tried to escape when we entered the building. Unfortunately Agent McGee was injured in the scuffle; he's on route to the hospital as we speak. The paramedics think he may have broken his arm." Stanson reported

Kate looked at the roof of the car and closed her eyes, "Are they taking him to Bethesda?"

"Yes, ma'am, they are" Stanson replied

"Okay, we'll see you there in around ten minutes" Kate responded, then hung up

"Who's been taken to Bethesda?" Tony asked

"McGee. His arm may be broken" Kate replied

"Shit" Tony said under his breath and made a u-turn

* * *

Gibbs paced around his living room, counting the number of steps it took him to get from one wall to the other, then turning around and starting again. He felt like a caged animal. The waiting was killing him. He'd tried sanding his boat to clear his head, but after only ten minutes, he couldn't stand it any longer and had come back upstairs. Watching television was useless, just more bad news on the news channel and meaningless fluff on the other channels. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, heading to his kitchen to make another pot of coffee. At this rate, he'd overdose on coffee. Most people could attest that no amount of coffee would make him batter an eyelid. But as it was, his hand shook as he tried to pour himself another coffee. However, he had no idea whether that was due to too much coffee or his anxiety.

He put the coffee pot down and leaned against the counter, trying to get a grip on himself. He was a marine goddamn-it! He should be able to take a bit of waiting. His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone. Trying to remember where he put the phone down, he literally ran towards the living room, almost tripping over something on the floor.

"Gibbs!" he said expectantly

"Boss, it's Tony…" Tony said on the other end of the phone

"What? Did somebody call for me? Or leave something at the office? Did you receive a message to pass onto me?" Gibbs interrupted, asking his questions in rapid succession

"Whoa, boss, no, McGee…" Tony replied

"Then why are you tying up my phone line?" Gibbs asked and hung up without waiting for a response

* * *

That's it for Chapter 2...Hope you liked it. Please review! Tell me what you think.. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Unearthed Secrets**

Disclaimer: In Chapter 1

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews, I really appreciate them! As always a few more wouldn't go unnoticed

Again, thankyou to Kate for all her help and support with this fic

* * *

Tony held the handset away from his face as the engaged signal suddenly beeped. Staring at the phone, he began to get very worried about whatever had happened to Gibbs. It wasn't like he'd never hung up on Tony before, but it was completely unlike him to act like this.

Tony walked back to the waiting room and sat next to Kate.

"How'd he take it?" she asked

"He didn't" Tony replied, "I didn't get to tell him. He told me to get off the phone line or something and hung up"

Kate raised her eyebrows, "Did he say anything else?"

"No, only asked if anybody had tried to contact him" Tony replied

Kate frowned and sighed. She put her head on Tony's shoulder and closed her eyes, "Somehow I think we're going to have to reschedule our dinner and movies to another night"

"Again? We've already put it off four times this month" Tony whined

Kate smiled, "Yeah, but who's counting?"

Tony groaned and reluctantly agreed.

Kate heard somebody clear their throat and opened her eyes to see Ducky standing in-front of them with his eyebrows raised, "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all, Ducky" Tony replied

"I see" Ducky said, not believing him, "How is Timothy?"  
"He has a small fracture. They said he would be released after they have bandaged his arm up" Kate replied

Ducky nodded, his frown returning.

"Ducky? Any idea what's up with Gibbs?" Tony asked

"Yes, he had something of a personal crisis this morning" Ducky replied

"Care to expand on that Ducky?" Tony asked, frowning, thinking it was strange that he would ever ask Ducky to talk more about a subject

"Unfortunately I can't. Jethro has asked me to keep the matter confidential. I'm afraid that if you want more information, you will have to ask him yourself" Ducky responded

Tony sighed and gazed back to the reception desk, wishing it held all the answers.

"Agents Todd and DiNozzo?" a man in a white coat asked them

"Yeah, that's us" Kate responded

"Agent McGee fractured his humerous and ulna. I've set the bones which will take a couple of weeks to heal. I've discharged him and he should be ready to take back as soon as he has changed" the doctor told them, before walking away

A few minutes later, McGee walked out with a strange smile on his face and his arm in plaster and a sling.

McGee smiled at the team, "They gave me morphine"

Tony laughed and looked at Ducky who gave a small smile in return, "Let's take you home, Abigail has been most worried about you"

* * *

Tony drove to Gibbs' house and wondered whether or not it was a good idea. Kate wanted to see how he was doing and told Tony that he was driving. For some reason, it seemed that Kate was the one who wore the pants in this relationship. Tony frowned, wondering whether that meant he wore the skirt or whether there were two pairs of pants…now that was just weird. Tony blinked and returned his attention to the road.

"What're you thinking about?" Kate asked, studying his face

Tony looked at Kate out of the corner of his eye and wondered whether he should tell her what he was really thinking. Why did women always have the knack to ask that question when he was thinking strange things?

"Trying to figure out if I want a burial or to be cremated when Gibbs kills me" Tony covered

"He's not going to kill you" Kate responded

"You didn't hear him on the phone, Kate" Tony said

Kate didn't reply, instead choosing to look out the window. Once they returned from the hospital, they'd booked Kopas and started writing their reports. However after a few hours, they'd decided to do the rest tomorrow. McGee had gone home in the care of Abby, with instructions not to return to work for a couple of days, or unless they were called in.

Tony pulled into Gibbs' driveway and parked the car, "We're here"

"You don't say, Tony" Kate replied, getting out of the car

Tony got out of the car and followed Kate to the door, "Cremation, I wanna be cremated, that way the bugs won't eat me"

"I don't think you'd have to worry about that, Tony, you'd be dead" Kate replied, knocking on the door

"Yeah, but still" Tony responded, standing behind Kate

The door opened and Gibbs stood in the entranceway in the clothes he'd worn to work. Although, his clothes were now all crinkled and his shirt was un-tucked. His hair was messed up and his face had seemed to age since the last time they'd seen him.

When Gibbs saw them, his face went white again and he looked like he was about to pass out, "Yeah?" he asked cautiously

"We wanted to see how you're doing" Kate replied

Gibbs breathed out, "Is that all?"

"Yeah. Isn't that enough?" Kate asked

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked, rubbing his face, some of his colour returning, "Don't you have work to do?"

"No, boss, we caught Carr's murderer. We're gonna do paperwork tomorrow" Tony replied

"Good, then go home and get some rest" Gibbs said and made as if to close the door, but Tony put his foot there to keep it open

"We're not leaving until you tell us what's going on. You're part of the team and we're worried about you" Tony said

"DiNozzo, if you don't get your foot out of my door, I'll shoot it off" Gibbs growled

"How can we have your back if you don't tell us what's going on?" Kate asked

Gibbs studied Kate for a while, then started blinking furiously and looked up to keep his eyes from watering over, "Please, just leave me alone"

"It's okay, Gibbs, let it out" Kate said, slowly pushing into the doorway

Gibbs bit his lip, "I'm fine"

Kate took his arm and guided him to his couch, ignoring his feeble protests. Tony followed them and closed the door behind himself.

"Ok, spill" Kate told him

"Nothing to tell" Gibbs said

"Gibbs, even a first year cop could tell that you're lying" Kate stated

"She's right, boss" Tony chipped in

Gibbs sighed and put his face in his hands, then looked at them with a sad smile, "I screwed up, and now my…" he took a deep breath and tried to find the right words, but none seemed to come

Gibbs shook his head, then stood up, "Follow me" he instructed as he made his way upstairs to his bedroom

Kate and Tony exchanged glances then followed him. At the top of the stairs, Gibbs turned away from his room and led them to a different door. He paused in-front of the door and took a deep breath before opening it. Kate and Tony edged forward to get a closer look and saw a young child's room.

"This is my son's bedroom. He's 11; he'll be 12 in a few months. Today he only had half a day at school. When Audra, my babysitter, went to pick him up, he wasn't there. He was kidnapped." Gibbs said

"How do you know he was kidnapped and isn't just missing or something?" Tony asked

"Because he doesn't just go wondering off, DiNozzo" Gibbs replied, aggravated, "Besides, the police pulled a tape which shows him getting into a car…"

"Maybe a friend…" Tony suggested, but was interrupted by Gibbs

"No." he said, shaking his head, "The tape shows who did it, and I know the guy. This was definitely a kidnapping" Gibbs responded

"Who was it?" Kate asked

Gibbs looked at her with watery eyes, "My father"

* * *

That's it for Ch3!...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	4. Chapter 4

**Unearthed Secrets**

Disclaimer in first chapter

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews! I'm glad you like it!

As always, a gigantic thankyou to Kate, for all her ideas and inspiration.

* * *

Tony sat down on Gibbs' couch and gratefully accepted the coffee he offered him. Kate sat down next to him and cradled her coffee in her hands.

"Never knew you had a son, Gibbs" Tony commented, giving him a chance to sit down and take a long drink of his coffee

"Yeah, me either. Why did you hide him from us?" Kate asked

"I didn't" Gibbs replied softly, staring into his cup, "You never asked"

"But…how?" Tony asked

Gibbs met Tony's eyes, frowning, "How, what?"

"Well, how did you keep him secret from us for that long? I've known you for four years, and you're always at work, do you ever see him?" Tony asked

"Like I said, I didn't keep him a secret. And yeah, I see him" Gibbs replied defensively

"When?" Kate challenged him, "Christmas Day? New Years? Do you even know the names of his friends? Or his favorite subject at school?"  
Gibbs took another long sip of his coffee and lowered his eyes, "I see him on public holidays and stuff when we're not called into work. The story about me working them on a regular basis is a myth" he paused and took a deep breath, "I admit I haven't been a great father, more of a joke really. I've met two of his friends; they came for a sleepover last weekend…"

"That's when we got called in with the crispy critter" Tony observed

"Yeah, I had to drop them off at one of their parent's houses" Gibbs responded, staring into his coffee

"At three in the morning?" Kate asked

Gibbs nodded, "Like I said, I haven't been much of a father, better than mine though, but that doesn't count" he muttered, "He joined the baseball team at school last term, and…and I have still haven't seen him play" Gibbs took another swig of his coffee and looked up at them with glistening eyes, "Last year the school had some 'bring your dad to school' day or something, but I couldn't make it, missed the whole day and didn't get home till well after he'd gone to bed. I told myself I'd never miss anything of his again, I'd go to as many if his school functions as I could and go to his sports days and…I managed to get to one of his school fairs. He was so happy when I came"

Kate and Tony exchanged glances, "What did you say his name is, Boss?" Tony asked

Gibbs gave them a small smile, "Jake. Matthew Jake Gibbs"

"He goes by his second name" Tony observed, "Is that some kind of family tradition?"

"No," Gibbs' smile disappeared, "Jake likes to be called his second name because of that reason, because I use my second name. But it's not a family tradition"

"So, why do you go by your second name?" Kate asked

Gibbs downed the rest of his coffee and stared into the empty cup, wishing he had more, "Because it reminds me of my father, his name was Leroy"

Tony frowned, "You're doing it again, boss, 'was' is past-tense"

Gibbs scowled into his cup, "That's because I'd prefer to think of him as dead"

"So, who's Jake's mother?" Kate asked, deciding that a change in topic was a very good thing

Gibbs sighed, "Kathy, Kathy Peterson"

"She isn't one of your ex-wives?" Tony asked, trying to remember the names of Gibbs' ex's

"We never got married. We were engaged though, she would have been wife number two" Gibbs explained

"What happened?" Kate asked

"Her mother didn't believe in pre-marital sex. When she found out that Kathy was pregnant, she refused to let us get married. We decided that we were going to run off and get married without her mother, but a few days before we were due to leave, Kathy went into labor. Jake ended up being twelve weeks premature, which is why," Gibbs paused and looked up, willing himself not to cry or show any weakness in-front of his collegues, "She died shortly after giving birth to him. The doctors explained that there were other things that built up to it, but…" he let the sentence hang, spreading his arms in a helpless gesture, "Jake almost died, he was in one of those vat things for a couple of weeks. He was so small…"

They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually Gibbs stood up and looked at Kate and Tony, "Coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks" Kate replied, whilst Tony just shook his head

Gibbs made more coffee, then returned with fresh cups for Kate and himself and the remainder of the coffee pot. Falling back into his chair, Gibbs took a long drink of his coffee and sat back in the chair, trying not to let his anxiousness show.

"So, technically, Jake's name is Jake Peterson" Tony commented

Gibbs looked at Tony wearily, "Not really. Before Kathy died, we asked the priest to marry us. It was just never put on the books. So, technically, I've been married four times, but officially, it's only been three"

"So, how did you end up with Jake, wouldn't her mother have wanted to keep him?" Kate asked

"Nope. She figured that he was a bastard and didn't fight me for him" Gibbs replied

"How could she just disown him like that?" Kate asked, uncomprehendingly

"I'm glad she did" Gibbs remarked, "Otherwise, it would have been one hell of a nasty court battle. I wouldn't have given Jake up without a fight, still wouldn't"

"Won't, Gibbs, present tense" Tony absently corrected him

"Actually, Tony, I think Gibbs was right, wouldn't…"

"You're arguing about grammar?" Gibbs stood up and interrupted them, the strain from the past day finally snapping, "How the hell can you two be arguing about grammar at a time like this? My son has been kidnapped! I may never see him again! He could be dead! Or worse! And you two are arguing about grammar?"

"Gibbs, we're just trying to…" Kate tried to calm him down

"What? What are you trying to do?" he asked, "Give me English lessons? I don't _need_ English lessons! I need my son, I need…Jake" he said, running out of steam. Sitting down, he put his head in his hands, covering his face.

Kate got up and put her hand on his shoulder, "He'll be okay, Gibbs"

"How do you know that? You don't know my father" Gibbs talked into his hands

"Do you want to tell us about him?" Kate asked gently, figuring that it was a touchy subject with her boss

Gibbs lowered his hands and wiped his eyes. Looking up at them, they were shocked to see that his eyes were red and by all appearances, he looked as though he'd been crying. He studied them momentarily before answering, "He was…a violent man…drank a lot…if he even does a third of the things to Jake that he did to me," Gibbs paused and shook his head, "I don't think I could be held accountable for my actions" he wiped away the tears that threatened, "When I was fifteen, I, we ran away. My brothers and my sister, I had to get them away from him…Mum refused to come"

"Did they have social services back then? Foster care?" Kate asked, trying to remember

Gibbs shrugged, "Don't know. We managed to get an apartment in a rundown neighborhood. I stopped going to school and worked full-time to support ourselves, worked two long shifts, then slept for about four hours, then did it again. Slightly after I turned seventeen, the navy did a recruitment run. I figured we'd get more money if I joined the marines than if I worked several jobs, so I joined up, told them I was eighteen. Around 80-90 of my pay went straight into another account for my brothers and sister…"

Kate raised her eyebrows; she'd never known this side of her boss. She'd always figured that he'd had a normal childhood like the majority of people.

"Where are they now?" Tony asked

Gibbs took a long drink of his coffee, pausing, "No idea. The last time I saw them was the day before we left, around six months after I joined up"

"Have you looked for them?" Tony asked

"What do you think, DiNozzo? I've tried tracking them down, but there is no record of them anywhere. It seems that they changed their surnames, and not through official channels either. Anybody who would have known them doesn't remember them" Gibbs told him

"What about trying …?" Kate suggested but was interrupted by Gibbs

"I have tried everything I could think of and more, with the same result. I've been looking for them for over twenty years, don't you think I've tried everybody route available?" Gibbs asked

They were saved from answering him when the phone rang. Gibbs put his coffee down and ran to the phone, "Gibbs"

Kate and Tony leaned over and found that they could hear the person on the other end of the phone quite clearly.

"Mr. Gibbs, it's Detective Bailey. We've found the van. A local police patrol found the van abandoned on the side of the road about four hours from the CBD, we have a forensics team on their way there, they're around an hour away. I don't want to get your hopes up, I don't think we will find much, but it's worth a try" the man told him

"Can I come with you? I've had enough experience working crime scenes and I..." Gibbs asked

"No, it would be better if you stayed at your house. If the kidnapper…" Bailey replied

"My father" Gibbs told him

"Right. If he tries to contact you…"

"He's not looking for a ransom, Detective. He wants to put me through hell; he wants to see me in pain. This has nothing to do with money or any other material item, it's all psychological. And you know what? It's working. I need to be out there, doing something. Trying to help get Jake back. If I stay here…." Gibbs interrupted Bailey

"I know this must be hard for you, Mr. Gibbs…" Bailey said

"You have no idea" Gibbs interrupted, bitterly

Bailey audibly sighed, "I'm sorry, there's nothing you can do, just sit tight and wait. If we find anything, I'll contact you"

That's it for chapter 4! Hope you liked it!...Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Unearthed Secrets**

Disclaimer: In first chapter

AN: Thankyou to all my reviews. Sorry for the wait.

This fic is set after SWAK, but Twilight never happened - and never will... In one of the eps in season two, Gibbs tells a mafia boss that he has no dad, etc...Gibbs prefers to think of his dad as being dead, hence the reason for his answer...

Thankyou again to Kate, who has been a constant source of motivation and help!

* * *

Gibbs nodded and hung up, putting the phone back on the bench. He leaned against the bench and closed his eyes, trying to comprehend how this could have happened. He knew the statistics; things were not looking good for Jake. He'd never forgive himself if something bad happened to his son, he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself.

Tony watched his boss, then retrieved the coffee and gave Gibbs his cup, hoping it would calm him down a bit. Gibbs looked at the cup, but shook his head. Straightening up he went to the other side of the kitchen and got a full bottle of Jack Daniels from a cupboard and a cup from another cupboard, "Need something stronger than coffee" he explained

"Is that wise, Gibbs?" Kate asked

"Probably not, Kate, but what do you expect me to do?" Gibbs asked, frustrated. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, "You two gonna join me? Or just watch as I try to drown my sorrows? Unsuccessfully, I may add"

"Count me out" Kate said, "I'm driving"

Gibbs nodded and looked at Tony, questioningly.

"Yeah, may as well" Tony replied

Kate gave him a disproving look as Gibbs took out another glass and poured both full of the amber liquid. Gibbs gave Tony one of them, then took the other and held it out, "Cheers" then downed the whole cup, slightly scrunching up his face as the alcohol went down.

Tony took a sip of his then looked at Kate, saying softly, "Can we talk, privately?"

Kate nodded and led the way out of the room. Tony followed her into the bathroom and shut the door, "I don't think we should leave him alone tonight, Kate"

"I agree, but I also don't think that he should be drinking, I don't think he's in any condition to be consuming alcohol. And I don't think you should be encouraging it" Kate responded

"I'm not. I just figured it's better to drink with somebody than to drink alone. Also, I don't think we have much choice, he's a grown man, he should be able to make these decisions himself" Tony said

"Yeah, in a normal situation I'd be inclined to agree with you, but his son has just been kidnapped…" Kate said

"Exactly" Tony interrupted

Kate sighed, "Do whatever you think is right but I have to go home. I have to see how Mr. Johnson is doing and call my mom"

"I thought Mr. Johnson got a carer. And you can call your mom from here. Kate, Gibbs needs us" Tony commented

"He didn't like his carer, Tony, and he's asked for someone else" Kate explained, "So that means, it's back to me until she's replaced. And I'm sure you'll take good care of Gibbs"

"Okay" Tony sighed, "Guess I'll see you tomorrow then"

"Yeah" Kate agreed and walked out of the bathroom

Tony followed her and walked into the lounge room where Gibbs was sitting in his armchair, staring into nothing. Gibbs emptied the rest of his cup and poured himself another. Tony looked at the bottle and calculated that Gibbs had had around two cups in the time that Kate and himself had been talking.

"Well, Gibbs, I guess I might see you tomorrow sometime. I hope they find him soon" Kate said

Gibbs looked up at her and merely nodded, before staring off into space again.

"Night, Tony" Kate said

"Night" Tony responded, giving her a small kiss on her cheek, "I promise to be a good boy"

Kate gave a small smile, "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or something he'll regret"

"Scout's honor" Tony replied, crossing his heart

She cast a backward glance at them both before leaving. Tony retrieved his cup of bourbon from the kitchen and sat on the couch.

"So, who else knows?" Tony finally asked

"Ducky and the Director. Abby knows about Jake, but doesn't know what's happened." Gibbs replied without looking up

"What did your second and third wife think of him?" Tony asked

"They thought he was an angel," Gibbs replied with a smile, "They couldn't figure out how I could be his father, being such a bastard and all"

Tony smiled, then frowned, "So, what about when they hit you with a seven-iron/baseball bat?"

"He was at a school camp when wife number two hit me with the seven-iron. And when wife number three hit me with the baseball bat, he was at a friend's house. They both seemed to time it so that he was out of the house, or they had enough restraint to not do it whilst he was there. Which I was thankful for, no reason to let him see me like that" Gibbs responded, taking a sip from his cup

They lapsed into silence as both men got caught up in their own thoughts.

"So, who's Mr. Johnson?" Gibbs asked after the silence seemed to stretch out long enough

"Who? What?" Tony asked. Then remembered his conversation with Kate earlier, "Oh, that Mr. Johnson. He's one of Kate's neighbours, he needs help cooking and doing other chores, so Kate helps him"

"Okay" Gibbs replied

"How did you know about him?" Tony asked, eventually figuring that it was strange for Gibbs to ask about the old man, "How much of our conversation did you hear?"

"Enough." Gibbs replied, "You can sleep in the spare room"

Tony closed his eyes, that probably meant that he'd heard the whole thing, "We didn't mean anything by it, boss, we just wanted…"

"To protect me?" Gibbs suggested, cradling his cup, "It's probably not a bad thing though, considering…"

Tony nodded, glad that Gibbs hadn't told him to leave. They lapsed into silence again.

"How long have you and Kate been in a relationship?" Gibbs asked after a while

"What makes you think we're in one?" Tony asked, hoping that Gibbs was only digging, without any solid evidence

"I've seen how you look at each other. To be honest, it's about damn time, we've been waiting for you two to get together since Air Force One" Gibbs responded

"We?" Tony asked

"Ducky, Abby, myself" Gibbs replied, "There's been tension between the two of you since she started; it was only a matter of time"

"McGee?" Tony asked

"Probably knows" Gibbs stated

"The Director?" Tony asked

"Doesn't have a clue, and doesn't need to know" Gibbs said

"And you're okay with this?" Tony asked

"Don't really have much of a choice. Better than having both of you resign. Besides, I think you two will be good for each other" Gibbs replied, "Now, how long has it been official?"

"Two months and three days" Tony responded with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"

"We had a bet, the three of us" Gibbs explained, "I think Abby and Ducky drew"

"You bet on how long it would take us to get together?" Tony asked, somewhat surprised

"It was Abby's idea" Gibbs defended himself, taking another drink from his cup, "I just went along with it, don't know what Ducky's excuse is"

"That kinda makes sense" Tony responded

"Yeah" Gibbs replied, putting his head back on the armchair and closing his eyes, "I thought it would have been closer to the time that you were drugged and kidnapped or when Kate was"

"Nah," Tony disagreed, "When I got pneumonic plague"

Gibbs grunted, "Thought you would've come to your senses long before that"

"What about your rules?" Tony asked

"They're guidelines" Gibbs replied

"And you're okay with it?" Tony asked again, still unsure

"You look good together," Gibbs replied, then opened his eyes and met Tony's "Don't let her go, DiNozzo, she's a good catch"

Tony smiled, "Thanks, boss"

Gibbs closed his eyes again, "But you better not hurt her"

Tony's smile faded, he'd caught the veiled threat, "Wouldn't dream of it, boss"

"Good" Gibbs grunted

Tony studied the wall and found that Gibbs had bought a big TV and a DVD player since he'd been here last. They were resting in a big cabinet. Tony got up slowly and opened one of the doors in the cabinet and found a row of kid's DVDs. Tony raised his eyebrows and opened another door in the cabinet and smirked. There was a small collection of DVDs on the shelf; Air Force One, a Star Wars movie, another Harrison Ford movie and an assortment of others.

"When'd you get the TV, boss? And why didn't you tell me?" Tony asked, without turning around

When he didn't get a response, Tony turned around and gathered that from the slow and steady rise of Gibbs' chest, he was asleep. He turned around and closed the doors to the cabinet and studied Gibbs' sleeping form. It seemed that his troubles had followed him into la la land; Gibbs' forehead was crinkled in a frown.

Tony sighed, deciding that it wouldn't be a good idea to let his boss sleep in the armchair; his neck would make him cranky. Carefully, Tony woke Gibbs enough to help him onto the couch, doubting that they would make it up the stairs and into Gibbs' bedroom. After depositing him on the couch, Tony fetched Gibbs' pillow from upstairs and a Dona. He put the pillow under his boss' head and draped the Dona over him, then headed into the guest room to get some rest, tomorrow was going to be hell.

* * *

That's it for ch5...Please review, Please! Hope you liked it! 


	6. Chapter 6

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for the reviews. Hope you like it!

As always, thankyou to Kate for her constant support and inspiration

* * *

Tony woke up and rolled over to stare at the wall. Frowning, it took him a while for his sleep-ridden brain to work out where he was. Then, it suddenly all came back to him. Gibbs! Tony climbed out of the bed and quietly walked into the lounge room, but found the couch was empty. He rubbed his face and silently swore, this was not good. _He could have woken up during the night and gone up to his bedroom_, Tony thought. Frowning, Tony walked to the stairs and ran up them, taking two at a time. However, a look in Gibbs' bedroom revealed that he wasn't there either.

Frowning, Tony descended the stairs; he'd have to check the basement. Gibbs loved that boat, it relaxed him. The basement, however, didn't reveal anything different. Now, Tony was starting to panic. Pulling out his cell, he called Gibbs' cell, but heard it ringing in the kitchen. Swearing aloud this time, he rang the office, but it was too early for anybody to be in yet. Next he called Ducky, waking him up.

"Duck, it's Tony. Have you seen Gibbs?" Tony asked

"Oh dear, what has he done? I knew I shouldn't have left him alone last night" Ducky said

"That's okay, he wasn't alone, I stayed in the spare bedroom. But when I woke up this morning, he wasn't here" Tony explained

"I see" Ducky simply said, knowing there was more

"He told Kate and me what happened. He was drinking before he went to sleep, he wasn't in good shape, Ducky" Tony said

"Okay. Give me half an hour, I'll be right over" Ducky told him, hanging up

* * *

Kate strolled out of the elevator and into the bullpen to find it empty. Frowning, she looked at Tony and McGee's computers to find that neither had been switched on yet. She yawned and looked at the clock; work had officially started twenty minutes ago. Then, she remembered that McGee was off on medical leave, and Tony was probably still with Gibbs. Starting up her computer, she sat down and thought of how much she'd hate to be Gibbs right now. Now that she thought of it, it didn't really surprise her that he had a child. Hell, she'd almost had a child. But that was a different matter entirely.

Sighing and pushing those thoughts away, she started writing her reports. With the amount of cases they'd had over the last few weeks, she'd be buried in paperwork until she quit or died.

* * *

Tony got out of the shower and quickly changed, wishing he had some clean clothes to put on. Walking back to the spare bedroom, he heard a noise from the kitchen. Tony froze and backed up against the wall, trying to make himself invisible. Cursing himself for leaving his gun in the bedroom, he started to slowly make his way there, all the while listening, his senses on full alert. After what seemed like eternity, he sneaked into the room and grabbed his gun, then painstakingly made the journey back to the kitchen. He tiptoed through the lounge room and flattened himself against the wall.

"You gonna shoot me, DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice asked him from the kitchen

"Dammit, boss!" Tony exclaimed, exasperated. He put away his gun and went into the kitchen, "Where the hell have you been?"

Gibbs looked at him up and down before answering, "Went for a run. Couldn't sleep"

Tony sighed and scratched his head, "Do you know how worried we were? We thought something had happened to you"

"We?" Gibbs asked, frowning

"Ducky. He's on his way over here" Tony replied

Gibbs nodded and poured himself a cup of coffee, "Want some?"

"Yeah" Tony answered

"Any calls?" Gibbs asked

"None" Tony replied

Gibbs poured another coffee and gave it to Tony, "You going into work today?"

"Yeah. Why?" Tony asked

"Because I'd kick your ass for being late" Gibbs responded, "Almost an hour now"

"Yeah, well no prizes for guessing why I'm still here" Tony replied

Gibbs nodded his understanding as the doorbell rang.

"That'll be Ducky" Tony said before Gibbs could get think that it may be some news

"Yeah" Gibbs responded, looking into his cup

Tony answered the door and Ducky walked in, asking Tony, "Did he leave a note?"

"You know that's not my style, Duck" Gibbs replied

Ducky turned around with a confused expression on his face, "Where have you been?"

"Around" Gibbs replied

"He said he went for a run because he couldn't sleep" Tony explained, "He got back about five minutes ago"

"Actually it was around ten to fifteen minutes ago, Tony; you take long showers" Gibbs corrected him, then looked down as he muttered, "Longer than my son"

"Jethro, we'll get him back" Ducky told him, walking into the kitchen

"In what condition, Ducky? I think I've run every possible situation through my head, and none of them end well" Gibbs told him, "Nothing ever does with…"

"You can't think like that" Ducky said

"So, you're saying I should give myself false hope that everything will end well. Because it won't and we both know it" Gibbs reasoned

"Jethro…" Ducky began, but was interrupted by Gibbs

"Just promise me one thing?" he asked. Ducky nodded and he continued, "If he, ah…if he doesn't make it, will you do the autopsy?" he asked and bit his lip as tears welled up in his eyes

"I hope it doesn't come to that, Jethro" Ducky replied, "But, if it does…" he looked up and nodded. Ducky closed the distance between himself and Gibbs and embraced him as his tears fell more freely.

Tony felt out of place and quietly left the house, trying to figure out if any of the buses that went passed here would take him to work…

* * *

Kate looked up as the elevator dinged and saw Tony make his way to the bullpen. She watched as he booted up his computer and took some clothes from the filing cabinet and made his way to the head. Sighing, she continued her report and thought of her relationship with Tony. Six months ago, she'd never have thought that she'd end up in a relationship with a chauvinistic pig like Tony. Sure, he was good looking and had a good sense of humor, which at times could be off-colour, but if somebody had told her that she would end up feeling this way about him, she would have shot them. Staring into space, she wondered what she would have done to somebody who'd have told her that she would have feelings for Gibbs. Smiling, she recounted the events on Air Force One and in the submarine when they were pushed against each other. Yeah, there had definitely been some tension there. But nothing would have come of a relationship with him; they were better of as friends. Besides, he wasn't who she'd fallen for.

Kate looked up as the object of her thoughts walked in and grinned at her.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked, sitting at his desk

"You" she replied

His grin got bigger, "Really? Care to be more specific?"

Kate thought about her answer for a moment, then smiled mischievously, "No, not really"

"Oh, come on Kate, please?" he begged

"No" Kate responded then decided to change the topic, "How was last night?"

Tony's grin disappeared, "Wasn't bad. Wasn't all that great either. Gibbs ended up falling asleep on the couch. Then he was missing this morning when I woke up…"

"Missing?" Kate interrupted, getting concerned

"Yeah, turns out he went for a run. But for around three quarters of an hour, I had no idea where he was" Tony replied

"How was he?" Kate asked

Tony sighed and leaned back in his chair, thinking of how he'd left Gibbs and Ducky. Shaking his head, he replied, "Not good. He's not coping very well"

"And you left him alone?" Kate asked, unbelievingly and ready to go over to Gibbs' house

"Nah, Ducky's there" Tony replied, "I rang him when Gibbs was missing, so he came around. I left whilst they were…talking"

Kate sighed, "I hope they find his son"

"Yeah" Tony agreed, "And soon"

* * *

That's it for Chapter 6...Hope you like it! Please review! Tell me what you think and if I should continue... 


	7. Chapter 7

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou to those who reviewed, really appreciate it.

Also thankyou to Kate for her constant inspiration and help

* * *

"McGee! Top left quadrant! Take him down!" Abby yelled at McGee, furiously tapping at her keyboard, "Quick! Get him!"

McGee typed his keyboard as fast as he could, trying to take down the threat that Abby had pointed out. The machine made some beeping noises then flashed, _Game Over!_ McGee hit the desk and swore.

"McGee!" Abby whined, "I told you to take him down!"

"Abby, it's not that easy with one hand" McGee told her

"Ah, you're such a baby" Abby retorted.

The computer beeped again and a message flashed at the bottom of the screen: _It looks like I win again, Five Finger Scuito._

Abby growled and replied: _You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war. This was just a fluke._

Another message appeared at the bottom of the screen: _Lol, that's what you said last time. Talent is not something that just occurs as a once off, it just is. _

_That sounds like a challenge. Feel like playing first to five?_ Abby asked

_You sound confident._ The stranger replied

_Just warming up._ Abby wrote, _so, is that a yes?_

_Unfortunately I have to leave you now, so it has to be a 'no'. I start work in an hour and I'm still haven't got ready yet._ The stranger responded

_You have plenty of time for another game. Only takes 10 minutes to get ready_, McGee wrote

_Yes, I agree. But I have a 40 minute drive. I'll try to get on here tonight and I'll take you up on your challenge. Cya later, Five Finger Scuito._ The stranger said

_We'll be here. Catchya later, Cyberbrain69._ Abby replied

"So, what are we gonna do now?" McGee asked, looking around Abby's apartment

Abby watched McGee for a while, then suggested, "Well, I'm going to make breakfast. You can take a shower"

"Okay, and then what?" McGee asked, rubbing his arm

"We'll find something, Timothy." Abby replied, making shooing motions, "Now, go. Get clean"

* * *

Sitting on his couch, Gibbs stared unseeingly at the TV. The TV was playing Shrek, one of Jake's favorite movies. Ducky had bought it for Jake's eleventh birthday, well as close to his birthday as he could. He'd given it to Jake three weeks beforehand and then he'd bought another gift for him on Jake's actual birthday. Gibbs had told Ducky that he didn't need to do that, but he'd insisted.

Gibbs stared past the TV and recalled when Kathy told him that she was pregnant with Jake. She'd been unsure at first, thinking that she'd miscounted how many days it'd been. But then she'd taken a pregnancy test…

_He made himself a coffee and was about to sit down when the phone rang. Silently cursing whoever it was for ringing at such an inopportune moment, he walked to the phone and picked it up._

"_Gibbs" he answered_

"_Jethro, it's Kathy" Kathy said_

_He smiled and leaned against the wall, "Hey Kathy. How are you? Doing anything tonight?"_

"_I'm fine, I'm good. I was planning on seeing you tonight" Kathy replied_

"_Really? That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it…?" Gibbs asked_

"_Yes. But that's what you had in mind wasn't it?" Kathy responded_

_He laughed, "Yeah. A friend told me about this great new place that's opened near the beach. Maybe we could have dinner and then have a swim?"_

_There was a pause, "I was thinking more of a private dinner"_

_He sighed, "Kat, you know I can't cook"_

"_So, I'll teach you. We can go shopping and maybe pick up a movie rental" Kathy suggested_

"_Yeah, ok. I'll pick you up at five?" he asked_

"_How about four?" Kathy asked_

_Gibbs smiled into the phone, "Ok. I'll see you then"_

"_Ok. Bye" Kathy said_

"_Bye" he responded and waited for her to hang up before he replaced the receiver._

_A few hours later, after fussing around at the supermarket, taking out food that Kathy put in, and putting in food that Kathy took out. Kathy taught him some basic cooking skills and helped him until they cooked a meal 'fit for a king' as Kathy had put it. They sat down at the dinner table and after playing with her food for some time, she told him._

"_Jet, I have something to tell you" she said, putting her fork down_

_Gibbs frowned and studied her face, "You're married?"_

_She gave a small smile and shook her head._

"_You're leaving?" he asked, slightly troubled by that_

"_No" she replied, shaking her head_

_He raised an eyebrow, "You're gay?". After getting another shake of her head, he studied her again, "Did you actually want me to guess? Or are you going to tell me?"_

_She sighed, "I understand if you don't want to be with me anymore, if you can't deal with it…"_

"_Kat," Gibbs interrupted, getting concerned "Tell me" _

"_I think I'm pregnant" Kathy finally said_

_His world stopped, it seemed everything had frozen in place as her words registered. _

"_Jet?" Kathy asked, "Say something. You're making me nervous"_

"_You think?" Gibbs asked_

"_Well, no. I know. I was late, so I took a test, and it came back positive" Kathy replied_

_Gibbs went silent as he thought of all the possibilities. Having a little person to call his child. HIS child. HIS son, or daughter. He would go to all of their sports events or watch them play at whatever they were good at. He smiled and looked at Kathy, THEIR child. _

"_Ok" Kathy said, looking at the wall, "I, um, well; I guess I don't have your support. I mean, who really wants to have a kid tagging along when you've got a great career like yours? I guess I'll have an abortion then"_

"_What!" he almost shouted, "Hell, no!"_

_Kathy looked at him, slightly scared when he raised his voice, but then saw his face break out in a huge grin. "You want to keep it?" she asked timidly_

"_You bet I do" he said enthusiastically, "Do you?"_

_Then she had smiled, "Yes"_

_Gibbs got up from his chair and gave her a big hug._

"Jethro?" Ducky's voice broke his reverie

Gibbs blinked and brought himself back to the present. He focused on Ducky, then looked back at the TV screen

"Jethro?" Ducky asked again, putting his hand on Gibbs' arm

"Yeah, I'm here, Duck" Gibbs responded quietly

"Good, I thought I lost you there for a second" Ducky responded, sitting on the arm chair, "What do you want for lunch?"

"Not really hungry, Ducky" Gibbs replied

"Jethro, you have to eat" Ducky told him

"Yeah," Gibbs said, lying down on the couch, "But I don't feel like eating. Might go to sleep though"

Ducky sighed and watched as Gibbs closed his eyes and pulled up the blanket, which hadn't moved since last night. Ducky stood up, talking to himself, "Guess I'll be eating on my own again"

* * *

Abby crawled over McGee and watched his face light up, "You enjoying yourself, McGeek?"

McGee thought for a moment about the uncomfortable position that he'd been twisted into, "Kinda"

Abby laughed, then looked down, "Ok, right hand to blue"

"Abs, my right hand is in a sling" McGee replied

"So use your left hand" Abby replied, easily maneuvering her hand to the appointed colour

McGee tried to move, but ended up falling over instead. Abby laughed and fell on top of him in a laughing fit. McGee wiped tears of laughter from his eyes, asking, "So, whose idea was it to play 'Twister' anyway?"

"Yours" Abby replied, sitting up

McGee frowned; "You told me it was …" he started but was interrupted by the doorbell, "You expecting anyone, Abby?"

"Not really" Abby replied, "Maybe the team have come around to have dinner and wish you to get better or something hinky"

"Right" McGee said, disbelievingly

Abby got up and answered the door.

"A delivery for Miss Scuito?" a delivery man said

"That's me" Abby replied

McGee got up and joined her at the door as the delivery man held out a clipboard, "Just sign here, ma'am"

Abby signed and was given a small package, "Thanks"

"That's ok. Have a nice day, ma'am" the delivery man said before leaving

Abby shut the door and opened the parcel, "I don't remember ordering anything on eBay"

McGee frowned, "Perhaps we should be more careful about it then. Remember what happened to Tony?"

"Of course I do, Tim. I was there when Ducky said it was Y-Pestis, likely to be pneumonic plague." Abby said, "I agree. Let's go to the lab"

* * *

That's it for chapter 7...Please review, Please! Hope you liked it! 


	8. Chapter 8

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou to Kate for her help and inspiration

* * *

Tony groaned and leaned back in his chair, staring at the open folder in-front of him. He'd finished his report just before lunch time and had caught up on three weeks of paperwork, now he was looking through cold cases, to see if there was anything they'd missed or overlooked. It was boring and tedious. He looked across at Kate and saw the same expression that'd been on his face for the last few hours.

"Feel like getting dinner?" Tony asked her

"Tony, we finish in half an hour or so. I'm sure we can wait" Kate replied, without looking up

"But I'm hungry" he whined

Kate looked up and looked at him as if he was stupid, "It's thirty minutes, Tony"

The elevator dinged, causing them to look up as McGee stepped out of the elevator. He grinned when he saw them and walked to the bullpen

"What are you doing here, Probie?" Tony asked

"Well, I figured you'd still be here doing paperwork…" he answered

"So you decided to pay us a visit?" Tony finished for him

"Well, in a sense. Abs got a parcel in the post that she wasn't expecting, so we decided to open it up in the lab. I figured that since you guys don't have anything better to do…" McGee responded

"Sounds good, let's go" Tony said and got up, Kate mirroring his movements

"So, where's Gibbs?" McGee asked, looking over his shoulder as they entered the elevator

Kate and Tony exchanged looks, "He's at home" Kate finally replied

"Why? Is he sick?" McGee asked, genuinely concerned

"Yeah," Tony replied, taking the easy way out, "You could say that"

Before McGee could question them further, the doors opened to the lab.

"Hey, Abs. Heard you have something sus" Tony said as he walked in

"Hey, Tony, Kate." Abby replied, turning off her music, "You have to check this out. I opened the packaging and then the box. But there's a receiver on the box, or more specifically, the opening of the box"

"Any idea what it's for?" Kate asked

"It looks like a simple receiver, it sends a signal when the box is opened" Abby replied

"So, technically it's not a receiver, because it sends messages?" Tony asked

Abby rolled her eyes and ignored his question, "Anyway, that's about as interesting as it gets. Inside the box I found this cassette."

"Have you played it yet?" McGee asked

"Easy there, McGeek, I know I'm superwoman, but I can't move that fast. Besides, thought you all might like to be here for the show" Abby responded, scooting on her chair to her computer and pressing play.

For a while, there was silence, followed by an old man's voice, "_Hello, Abigail. My name is Leroy, I'm sure you know my son, after all you have worked with him for some time now, nowadays he goes by the name 'Jethro'…"_

"Abby, turn it off. I don't think we should listen to this" Tony said

"But it's addressed to me" Abby responded, confused

"Yeah, but it's private" Tony told her

"…_I also know that you are very good at what you do, so I expect that this message will eventually get to my son. I would ring him, but for some reason, he never really liked me, something about teenage rebellion taken too far. Tell him that in order to see Jake again, he has to revisit his past…"_ the cassette continued playing

Abby hit the stop button and frowned, "What happened to Jake?"

Kate and Tony exchanged looks, then Kate sighed, "He was kidnapped"

Abby's frown deepened, "Yesterday? That's why boss-man left early"

"Yeah" Tony replied

"Who's Jake?" McGee asked

"Gibbs' son" Abby responded, staring at her monitor, "I might be able to enhance the sounds in the background and try to locate the area. Gibbs doesn't need to hear this"

"Gibbs has a son?" McGee asked

"Ok, I'll stay and try to help. Kate, if you want to tell Ducky? Or do you wanna stay here and I'll go?" Tony asked, ignoring McGee

"Actually, if it's all the same with you guys, McGee would be of more use to me" Abby said

Tony nodded, as Kate turned to Tony, "I think we'd better mention this to Ducky"

* * *

Half an hour later Kate and Tony were back at Gibbs' house. They exchanged glances and quietly opened the door, knowing that Gibbs always left his place unlocked. They heard a faint muttering from inside the house and gave a faint knock on the door. The muttering continued as they walked through into the lounge to see Ducky in the armchair reading quietly.

"No, I'm sure that date is wrong, Jethro. If I recall correctly, it wasn't until 1849 when…" Ducky consulted the book, frowning

"Ducky?" Tony said softly

Ducky looked up, slightly startled. Then when he realised who it was, he put down the book and showed them into the kitchen.

Kate gave him a strange look, "Reading the encyclopedia, Ducky?"

"Yes, actually. However they have the dates wrong…" Ducky answered

Tony and Kate chuckled. Tony's expression turned grave as he interrupted, "How's he been, Duck?"

Ducky sighed, "He's not eating and he's drinking a lot more coffee. But, he mainly slept today"

Kate nodded, frowning, "Okay, that's physically, how is he mentally?"

Ducky looked at Kate sadly, "Not with us. Several times today, I had to call his name a few times before he acknowledged my presence. He's not coping with this at all"

Tony and Kate exchanged looks before Tony told Ducky what had been sent to Abby.

"It was sent to Abigail's apartment?" Ducky asked softly, not wanting any of their conversation to reach Gibbs' sleeping form

"Yeah, she was babysitting McGee when a delivery man showed up" Tony replied

"I see. Were any threats made on the tape?" Ducky asked

"Abby and McGee are listening to it now. The only thing that could be deduced as a threat was when he said that the only way we'll see Jake again is if Gibbs revisits his past" Kate responded

"I don't think he met literally, Kate" Tony commented

"I'm not so sure. Leroy was very cryptic with words" Ducky argued

"You met him, Ducky?" Tony asked

"Yes, unfortunately, just after I met Jethro. We had a case close to his home town and…" Ducky explained

"I never thought his words were cryptic. I got the meaning crystal clear" Gibbs interrupted, walking into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee

"Jethro, I thought you were still asleep" Ducky said, wondering how much he'd heard

"Couldn't sleep with all the racket you were making" Gibbs replied softly

They stayed in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, whilst Gibbs made himself coffee and giving everybody else a mug as well.

"Your pasta is in the fridge, Jethro. There should be plenty to see you through for…" Ducky told him

"Ducky," Gibbs interrupted him, "I'm not hungry. Hell, I don't even feel like…coffee. I don't feel like anything"

"Boss, you can't just stop eating" Tony said

"Why not? You gonna stop me DiNozzo? I said I'm not hungry" Gibbs responded, walking back to the lounge room and calling over his shoulder, "And Ducky, you should stop reading those encyclopedia's…or maybe write one"

That's it for chapter 8...Hope you liked it. Please review! Tell me whetheror not Ishould continue..


	9. Chapter 9

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou to everybody who reviewed!

Thankyou also to Kate, who has been fantastic and has been a gigantic help and inspiration

* * *

Kate sat down on the bed and Tony flopped down next to her, both glad that the day was finally over. Tony rolled over and put his arm around Kate's waits. Kate turned her body and molded herself into his arms. She tilted her head up and kissed him softly, "I'm worried about Gibbs," she whispered

"We all are, honey" Tony whispered back, closing his eyes

"You don't think he'll do anything stupid, do you?" Kate asked

"Like what, Kate? This is Gibbs we're talking about" Tony replied

"Like… I don't know" Kate huffed into his shoulder, "Like hurting himself?"

Tony frowned, "Nah. He wouldn't do something like that. At least, not physically"

"Good. I hope not. I'd hate to have to break in another boss" Kate replied, aiming to keep it light

Tony gave a small smile, "Yeah, he's not bad for a grumpy old ex-marine"

"Mmm" she murmured, and started kissing him softly on his neck, "But I prefer the juvenile, chauvinistic pig"

Tony chuckled, "You'd want to have me as your boss?"

"The power would go straight to your head" Kate replied, with a smile

"Not with you there to keep me in line" Tony responded, hugging her more deeply, "Although, I can think of some very interesting scenarios we could try, if you're game" he added seductively

Kate rolled her eyes, "One of them doesn't happen to include a desk and nobody else in the office, does it?"

"Who said anything about the office being deserted?" Tony asked mischievously

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed

Tony laughed, "What? I was talking about working, don't know what you were thinking of"" he asked, then feigned only just catching on, "Oh, Kate, you have a dirty mind."

Kate playfully hit Tony, then asked, "Tony, what would I do without you?"

"Probably find someone else" Tony answered

"Yeah, probably" Kate responded

They lay in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

"I love you," Tony murmured, pressing a kiss into Kate's hair. "Let's get some sleep"

* * *

"_Blackadder, you got anything on Dean yet?" Gibbs asked, walking into the bullpen and taking a long drink of his coffee_

"_Yeah," she said, without looking up_

_Gibbs stopped in front of her desk, spreading his arms out, "Well?"_

_She looked up, "He had difficulty throughout school, he was suspended multiple times and was in a special care program. He quit when he was fifteen and ran away from home…" she searched through her notes, trying to find the other papers_

"_Sounds like me, what else?" Gibbs commented, then held up some papers, "Looking for these?"_

"_Yes, I am" she replied and grabbed them, "He had trouble with drugs and was arrested a few times, but was never charged…"_

"_We think that's because his parents paid for the charges to be dropped" Brooks interrupted. Brooks, also an ex-marine, had been working with him for a year and had learned the ropes well._

"_Why was he arrested?" Gibbs asked as his phone rang_

"_You name it. Drugs, indecent exposure, theft, grand auto theft…" Blackadder listed, "You gonna get that?" she asked, gesturing to his phone_

"_I wanna know how he got into the navy with a history like that. I also want his financials, phone records, everything, you know the drill" Gibbs told them before answering his phone, "Gibbs"_

"_Jethro, honey, I think my water just broke" he heard Kathy's voice on the end of his phone_

"_Really? When? Where are you?" Gibbs asked, getting strange looks from his collegues_

"_In the park just off Key Street. I decided to go for a walk" she replied_

"_Okay, hang on, I'll be right there. You just hang on, you hear me?" Gibbs tried to calm her down, but didn't know who was more panicked_

"_Okay. I'll be here" Kathy responded, hanging up_

_Gibbs hung up and ran out of the office to his car. Thankfully there weren't many people on the roads, already at work or school. Finally reaching the park, he found her and helped her into the car. The drive to the hospital was crazy; they got stopped by everything and anything, trains, roadworks, car accidents. Gibbs parked in front of the entrance to the ER and helped Kathy in, getting yelled at by the security guard who told him he couldn't park there. Throwing the guard his keys, he told him to move it and he'd pay for it later. Kathy was rushed into a theatre and Gibbs was left to wait the time out. _

_It took forever. Time seemed to stop, maybe even go backwards. Gibbs paced around the room, still trying to get his head around the fact that his baby was about to be delivered. But why weren't they letting him in to witness it? He sat down and tried not to stress, surely that was normal? No. He knew it wasn't, plenty of his friends had said that they'd been allowed in. Putting his head in his hands, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread, something bad had happened, or was going to happen. _

"_How is she, Jethro?" a familiar voice asked_

"_Ducky!" he exclaimed, standing up, "They won't let me in! They told me that I'd better wait out here. They've been five hours, Duck, and they won't tell me what's going on. I don't know what's happening. I want to be in there. But they won't let me…" he said in a rush_

_Ducky placed his hands on Gibbs' shoulders and sat him down, "It's normal for it to take a long time, Jethro. I've known people who have been in labor for around twenty-four hours, even longer."_

"_But why aren't they letting me in? Is that normal?" Gibbs asked_

_Ducky frowned, "Yes, that is a bit out of the ordinary, isn't it?" he said more to himself, "I'll go check it out, ok? Now try to calm yourself down a bit otherwise you'll end up in hospital as well"_

_Ducky got up and went through the double doors. After ten minutes, Gibbs got up and started pacing around the room again. Another ten minutes passed and then another. Leaning against the wall, he tried not to think of all the possible things that could have gone wrong. One of the perks about having such an active imagination is that he could think of everything that could happen, and more, and he could picture it in vivid detail. Shaking his head, he cursed being at so many crime scenes. _

_The double doors opened and Ducky walked out wearing a set of navy scrubs. Ducky looked at Gibbs with a sad expression, "Coffee?"_

_Gibbs frowned, not taking the bait, "What happened, Duck? Is she ok? Are they ok? What's going on?"_

_Ducky sighed and moved closer to Gibbs, "There have been some complications. The surgeons are working on them both at the moment"_

"_Kat gave birth?" Gibbs asked, not knowing whether to feel happy or anxious_

"_Not yet. They are working to save them both, Jethro" Ducky sighed again, starting to feel his age, "Should we have a coffee? It would be better if you were sitting down to hear this"_

"_Just tell me here, Ducky. I don't want to leave here in case something happens"_

"_I doubt anything will happen too soon. The surgeons will be busy for some time yet" Ducky replied, coaxing Gibbs towards the exit_

_In the cafeteria, over coffee, Ducky told Gibbs what was going on. "Kathy has a blood disorder, Jethro. Have you heard of haemophilia?"_

_Gibbs slowly nodded his head, remembering a case a few years ago where the victim had had the disorder. Thinking of the body on the table and the crime scene, Gibbs felt sick. Quietly, he said, "It's when somebody's blood doesn't form a blood clot very fast when they injure themselves. They get bruised easily and a small injury can turn into a large one. Something like pregnancy can be fatal". Looking at the ceiling, a single tear ran down his cheek_

"_I'm sorry, Jethro" Ducky said. Gibbs nodded in response and avoided his eyes, as he drank deeply from the coffee cup._

_Six hours later, Ducky and Gibbs were back in the waiting room. Gibbs had spread himself over several chairs and was dozing. Ducky looked up at his companion from the magazine he'd been reading. Over the course of the six hours, he'd managed to read the majority of magazines in the waiting room. He watched as Gibbs' chest rose and fell, quietly congratulating himself for making the right decision and managing to sneak a mild sedative into Gibbs' coffee._

_Eventually the double doors opened again and two men in navy scrubs, like the one Ducky was wearing, came out. Ducky got up and gently shook Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs sat bolt upright, then realised where he was and quickly got up, walking to the surgeons._

"_Mr. Gibbs?" one of them asked_

"_That's me" Gibbs asked, his voice cracking from the lack of use_

"_I'm Dr Phillips, this is Dr Cole, we were working on your wife's case" the man said. Gibbs nodded, encouraging him to go on. Phillips paused, then said, "We did a cesarean and were able to deliver your son without too many complications"_

"_My son?" Gibbs asked_

"_Yes, you're a father, congratulations" Phillips told him. _

_Gibbs gave him a small smile, then asked, "Kathy?"_

_The two doctors exchanged glances, "There's too much blood loss, there's nothing else we can do. She's still with us if you want to see her, though" Cole replied_

_Gibbs stayed with Kathy for an hour before she passed. He was sitting with his head on the sheets, holding her hand when Ducky walked in._

"_Jethro, do you want to see your son?" Ducky asked_

_Gibbs raised his tear-stained face to Ducky, before eventually nodding. Ducky led him to an adjoining room, where he could see a tiny baby in an incubator. As he got closer though, he realised something was wrong with it. The inside was stained red. Gibbs turned back to Ducky, who was still smiling. Gibbs looked back to the incubator and watched as the blood inside of it began to rise, pooling around the young child. Starting to panic, he looked back at Ducky, who gestured for him to keep moving. Looking back, it had risen to a point where it was beginning to drown the young boy, his son! Running forward, he tried to open it up and pull him out, but it wouldn't budge. He began screaming at the figure inside, who was obviously sleeping peacefully. Shaking the box now, he continued shouting, not wanting to loose somebody else. _

"Jake!" Gibbs shouted, waking up and sitting bolt upright.

Breathing frantically, he looked around the room, trying to find his son. He got up swiftly and picked up his gun from the table, where he placed it last night. Scanning the room again, he realised he wasn't in his bedroom. Where the hell was he?

Suddenly he heard footsteps and moved to the wall to flatten himself against it. The footsteps got closer, making the floorboards squeak. When the door opened, he raised his gun to the strangers head, "Don't move" he croaked

"Jethro?" he heard Ducky ask hesitantly

"Ducky? What are you doing here? Where are we?" Gibbs asked, thoroughly confused

"We are at your house, in your lounge room. Jethro, would you please lower your gun?" Ducky replied sternly

Gibbs slowly lowered the gun, holding it loosely. Ducky turned around and turned on the light to get a better look at his friend. Squinting against the sudden unwelcome light, Gibbs raised his arm to cover his eyes whilst they adjusted.

"What happened?" Ducky asked softly, "Are you okay?"

Scratching his head and scanning the room again, he asked, "Jake? Where is he?"

Ducky studied his friend again and realised that he must be still in the remnants of his dream, putting his hand on Gibbs' arm, he led him to the couch and sat them down. "Jethro, are you with us?"

Then he seemed to snap out of it, as it all came back to him. Gibbs looked around the room again and let out a small sob, "I thought…I thought…we were…the hospital…his cot was filling with blood…I tried…and you just smiled…he looked so happy and content" Gibbs tried to explain what had happened, but his thoughts were too disjointed to make a proper sentence.

Ducky rubbed Gibbs' arm, "It was just a bad dream, Jethro"

"I know, I just," Gibbs paused as his eyes filled up, "It seemed so real" he gave a small choked laugh, "I'm sure Abs could tell me what it meant"

"Maybe" Ducky murmured

Gibbs sat back and gave another small laugh, remarking "I feel so stupid"

"Why?" Ducky asked softly

Gibbs shrugged, "Because of how I'm acting. Feel like a damn baby. Normally, if I was confronted with a situation like this, I would be out there trying to find Jake and shoot anyone who would've gotten in my way."

"Yes, but under normal circumstances, you would be far removed from the situation and you would be running the investigation. As it is, you're…" Ducky replied

"A coward" Gibbs interrupted, "I should be helping to catch the bastard and helping the investigation"

"Jethro, you're not a coward. I don't know what makes you think that…" Ducky responded

"I should have had my father arrested when I was fifteen. I should have reported him to the police. Instead I ran away, and it seems, he's finally caught up to me" Gibbs explained

"That doesn't make you a coward. You were only young and…" Ducky replied

"But you agree that I should have dealt with this a long time ago?" Gibbs asked

"Quite the contrary, Jethro," Ducky began. "You can only deal with a situation only when you are ready to do so"

Gibbs looked Ducky in the eyes, "But I'll still be responsible if anything happens to Jake. And what about if he's abused other kids? When I could've put him away, 30 years is a long time, Duck"

"You couldn't have known that, Jethro" Ducky replied

"Yeah, but I should have expected it" Gibbs replied, lowering his eyes, "Gotta anticipate those kinds of things"

"You can't anticipate everything. It doesn't matter how good you are at reading people's behaviors, you can't always predict what their next move will be. Take young Caitlin for example," Ducky responded

Gibbs recalled the situation with Ari. He sighed and nodded, "I just…feel responsible"

"You shouldn't" Ducky replied, rubbing Gibbs' arm, trying to soothe him

Gibbs put his head back on the couch, "I just want him back"

"Me too, Jethro, me too" Ducky replied

* * *

TBC... Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	10. Chapter 10

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou to Kate for her ongoing support and inspiration!

* * *

Tony squinted at the report in front of him, trying to recognize the black smudges that were words. After trying to read the same paragraph several times, he put the report down and rubbed his eyes, wishing that he'd got more sleep last night. He couldn't have got more than three hours sleep, and that was pushing it. The latch on the bathroom door was broken, making the door bang all night. And the wind from the window was just strong enough to slam the door if it was left wide open. So, why not just close the window? Because it was locked open and the key was nowhere to be found.

Looking over at Kate, he realised she looked exactly as he felt. He'd caught her having a nap a few hours after they'd started work. She insisted that she hadn't fallen asleep, she was merely thinking with her eyes closed, which in his words was the same as 'studying the back of your eyelids' – essentially, sleeping.

Tony answered his phone after the second ring, glancing at the caller ID. "Hey Abs, whatcha got for us?"

"How'd you know it was me?" Abby asked

"Now that would be telling" Tony replied

"Okay, I don't have a lot, but you guys might wanna come and see this" Abby responded

"We'll be right down" said Tony, hanging up, "Kate, we're wanted in the lab"

Kate sighed and put her report down, following Tony to the elevator. They rode down in silence then walked into the lab. Tony scrunched up his face as he walked in, the loud music still a bit too loud this time in the morning. He walked to her stereo and hit the pause button, before walking back to Abby.

"Hey! What'd you turn my music off for?" Abby asked

"Because I could barely hear myself think" Tony replied, then walked up to stand in front of the plasma

"Okay, so you wanna know what I've got for you?" Abby asked

Tony slowly turned around and gave her his best Gibbs glare.

Abby studied his face for a second, before stating, "Nah, you still don't have it down yet. So, I enhanced the sounds in the background to try to get a location" after clicking a few times, she made the tape play again, then slowly cleared the noises.

"A train" Kate commented

"Yeah. I was able to identify what kind of train it is as well" she clicked a few more times then played it again, "Freight train. Now, towards the end of the recording you can also hear a bell tolling" she fast forwarded the tape so they could clearly hear it.

"That doesn't narrow it down too much, Abs" Tony commented

"I haven't finished yet, Tony. Going back to the train, if we focus on that sound for a bit longer, we discover…" she paused and clicked her mouse again

"A tunnel" McGee interrupted, before the recording had sounded

"Hey, don't spoil my fun, Timothy" Abby scalded

"So, where does that leave us" Kate asked

"But wait, there's more" Abby said, then ran another program, "If we measure the intervals of the boards on the tracks, we can calculate the width of the track and the rail."

"You have a location?" Kate asked

"Almost" Abby replied

"Okay, send it to my PDA. Probie, you're with us, let's roll" Tony said, walking out the door

"Hang on a sec, Tony" Kate called as she watched the map narrow and identify the location

Tony walked back into the lab with a questioning look on his face. Kate pointed to the map, "That's where the police found the abandoned van yesterday"

Tony looked at the plasma, his face falling, "Crap" he said under his breath, "Wonder if they found anything"

"What happened yesterday?" McGee asked

"The police rang Gibbs at home and told him that they found an abandoned van that matched the description of the one that Leroy was driving." Kate explained

"So, we have nothing" Tony stated, heading out of the lab

* * *

Opening his eyes, he noticed that the place he was in wasn't almost completely dark; he could see the four walls which kept him captive. He tried to sit up, but decided against it when his head began to pound. Touching the side of his head, he remembered trying to fight against that strange old man. His dad had been giving him lessons on how to fight and he'd listened attentively, absorbing the knowledge like a sponge. However, despite how good he may have been, he didn't like having to fight against anybody. Yesterday had been an exception; he hadn't been given a choice. Shivering, he curled into a tighter ball and tried to block out the pain. He wished his dad was rescue him soon. He didn't like this place or that creepy old man who'd picked him up from school.

Sighing, he thought, 'picking up' from school was perhaps the wrong term; it implied that he had some kind of choice. No, the term was more like 'being forced' to go with him after school. The man had pulled him into the back of the van, then held a gun at him whilst he'd been bound and gagged. The gag and rope were gone now, but they'd definitely left marks which would eventually turn into bruises.

He blinked against the darkness and heard the sound of gravel crunching from outside, he was coming back. Getting up from his position, he made his way to what appeared to be the door and patiently waited to one side of it. The footsteps got louder, then he heard a key and the rattle of chains.

As soon as the door opened, he kicked into the middle of the door, hitting the old man in the groin, making him double over. Taking the chance whilst he had it, he jumped out of the van, jarring his foot as he landed. With a cry of agony, he fell to the ground.

The old man laughed, straightening up, "Well, you're definitely my son's son. Stupid, reckless, wild, rebellious. You think you're tough, Jake?"

Jake breathed hard into the gravel, summoning up his energy. Suddenly he jumped up and punched the man in the face and tried to run off, but only succeeded in doing a fast hobble. He heard the man run to catch him up and he tried to run faster. All of a sudden, his feet were swept from beneath him, making him collapse to the ground again.

"Where do you think you're gonna go, Jake? You're in the middle of nowhere" the man was yelling at him, "Do you think I'm stupid? You think you can outrun and outsmart me? Look at me, goddamn it!"

Jake slowly rolled over and found himself looking down the barrel of a shotgun.

"Not so brave now, are ya?" the man asked

"Speak for yourself; you think you need a shotgun to control somebody a tenth your age?" Jake asked

The man's expression darkened, he motioned with the gun, "Get up, smartarse"

He rolled into a crouching position and slowly stood up. Hobbling back to the van, he bit back the pain in his foot; he wasn't going to show weakness in front of this bastard. By the time they got back to the van, Jake was breathing heavily, uncomfortably aware of all his injuries. He turned back to the man, "Can I go to the head?"

The man studied him, obvious tossing up whether or not to let him relieve himself. Eventually he shrugged, "Don't try anything"

He hobbled till he was behind a tree and did his business, all the while looking for anything that might aid him in his attempt to escape. Finding nothing, he sighed and went back to the van. After getting into the van, the man threw him a bag and closed the door, locking it again. Frowning, he let his eyes adjust to the light before opening the bag, which revealed a burger, some cold fries and a bottle of coke. He gave a small smile, before he devoured the food. In the background, he was distantly aware of the engine starting and the van moving again

* * *

That's it for chapter 10!...Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	11. Chapter 11

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews, it's much appreciated.

Thankyou also to Kate for her help and inspiration.

* * *

Kate looked up as she heard Tony slam his fist onto his desk. Kate frowned as she saw Tony muttering to himself.

"Something wrong, Tony?" she asked

"No" Tony replied, dismissively. "Yes. Why the hell aren't we helping the police with Gibbs' case? What are we doing here?"

"Because I asked the Director if we could take over the case, seeing as it involved the kidnapping of an ex-marine's son" Kate replied

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Which would make it our jurisdiction"

"Yeah. The Director said we couldn't, but didn't give his reasons, however he said he'd try to get Fornell to take the case" Kate responded

"Oh" Tony said, "Well, at least we tried"

"Yeah" Kate said, "So, how about lunch? It's already 2 o'clock"

As they got into the elevator discussing where to go to get lunch, Tony's cell rang. Frowning, he fumbled to get it out of his pocket, glancing at the ID before answering, "DiNozzo".

Kate watched his reactions, trying to see what the call was about. The elevator dinged at the car park level, but Tony stayed in the elevator, motioning for Kate to do the same. After hanging up, he looked at Kate and sighed.

"We have a case. Lieutenant Wills was stabbed to death in his home in the early hours of this morning. The house-keeper found him at around noon" Tony told her

"Okay, I'll get McGee" Kate responded

"And Ducky" Tony reminded her

"But he's with Gibbs" Kate argued

Tony shrugged, "He didn't ask for leave, so he's still on-call". Tony saw the explosion on Kate's face and interrupted her before she could say anything, "Hey, not my rules. They're the Director's"

* * *

Ducky woke up, wondering when he fell asleep. Rubbing his eyes, his pocket rang, reminding him what had woken him up. He answered it and heard Kate on the other end.

"Sorry to disturb you Ducky, but we have a case" Kate told him

Ducky sighed, "Well, if duty calls…"

Kate nodded in agreement, "Jimmy is getting the truck ready, he said he'll drop by Gibbs' house to pick you up"

"Okay, I'll be here" Ducky responded and hung up.

Gibbs looked up from the TV, which was broadcasting Air Force One, and waited for Ducky to announce that he was leaving.

"They have a case" Ducky told him

"And you have to go in" Gibbs finished for him

Ducky sighed, "I want you to come with me"

"I'm on leave, Ducky" Gibbs replied, slightly irritated

"Yes, I know that, Jethro. I didn't mean that I wanted you to investigate the case. I don't want to leave you here alone" Ducky explained

"I don't need a babysitter" Gibbs responded, aggravated

"I disagree" Ducky stated, "I'm not going to argue with you on this, you are coming with me."

"No, I'm not. I'm staying right here" Gibbs replied, his voice dangerously quiet

"Jethro, you are coming, you are not staying here, and that is final" Ducky said in a voice that suggested no argument, "Now, get up off the couch and go for a shower"

Gibbs glowered at him for what seemed like hours, "Now, Jethro" Ducky commanded.

Ducky watched as Gibbs got up, still eyeing him down, and headed towards the bathroom. Gibbs hadn't changed in the three days since the kidnapping had taken place, and he was frankly, starting to smell. Ducky sighed in relief as he heard the shower running, and made another pot of coffee.

* * *

McGee looked up as he heard the NCIS van coming down the road. Pulling the camera back to his face with his one good arm, he took a picture of the foot print in the mud and put a number next to it. Looking back up, he noticed Tony was still trying to locate the person in-charge of the crime scene – they seemed to have gone walk about. He stifled a laugh and proceeded to enter the house, looking for anything that seemed odd, or out of place.

Tony watched McGee enter the house, wondering what the younger agent found so amusing. He looked around the yard again with the same result. Swearing silently, he approached the van as it parked out the front of the house.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd hazard a guess that you didn't get lost this time" Tony said, with a pointed look at Ducky

Jimmy climbed out of the driver's seat with a big smile, "That's because we didn't. Doctor Mallard wasn't navigating this time"

Tony frowned, following the assistant to the back of the van, "You knew the address?"

"No. Agent Gibbs was giving directions" Jimmy replied, opening the van to reveal a very annoyed special agent sitting in the back

"Afternoon, boss" Tony greeted him

Gibbs grunted in reply and climbed out of the van, squinting at the sun. Ducky came around the other side of the van and joined Jimmy, pulling out their bags. "What have we got, Anthony?" he asked

"A Lieutenant stabbed to death in his room" Tony replied

"How about we let me decide his cause of death, shall we?" Ducky responded, "Jethro, I want you to stay here"

Gibbs glared at him, "What are you gonna do, cuff me to the van?"

Ducky appeared to consider the question, "No, I trust that you won't be going anywhere. I wouldn't do that to you"

"No, but I will," Kate said, appearing from behind Tony, handcuffs in hand, "I was destined to shoot you on Air Force One, and this is as close as I've come to that so far"

"You're not serious" Gibbs asked

"You'd better believe it" Kate argued, "Now, hold still"

"Duck" Gibbs protested, closing his eyes

"This is just some weird fantasy of yours, isn't it?" Tony asked

"Yeah, I've always wanted to tie up my boss" Kate replied

Gibbs moved out of her reach, "Well, unfortunately, you won't be fulfilling that fantasy today, Kate"

Kate raised her eyebrow, "Oh yeah?" she bet him

"Yeah" Gibbs agreed

Kate reached for his arm, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted her around so that it was her that wore the cuffs.

"Hey!" Kate said, watching Gibbs smirk

"Jethro, un-cuff her" Ducky told him, trying to keep his tone stern, but failed

"Can't, don't have the keys" Gibbs replied, leaning against the door and crossing his arms

Kate rolled her eyes, "The keys are in my bottom right pocket"

"I'm not getting them out" Gibbs responded

"Why not?" Kate asked

"Because you just tried to put me in handcuffs"

Kate glared at him, then felt Tony's hand in her pocket, "Ah, Tony, not the front pocket" she clarified, blushing

Tony smiled, murmuring something decidedly x-rated into her ear, and squeezing her ass as he took out the keys. Kate blushed further as he didn't move, still speaking softly, making her hot and bothered.

Ducky watched the two of them interact, before announcing that he was going to have a look at their Lieutenant. Jimmy left with him, muttering something to himself.

When Tony had taken Kate's cuffs off, he turned to Gibbs, "Boss?"

"Yeah?" Gibbs replied

"Isn't that the red head from your coffee store?" Tony asked, gesturing over his shoulder

Gibbs looked over, trying to spot the woman. Once he was distracted, Tony and Kate advanced, managing to cuff Gibbs to the van without getting hurt, despite Gibbs struggling and swearing a lot. But he would never hit a woman, so the fight was decidedly one-sided.

"Hey!" he barked at them as they went beyond his reach, "Get back here!"

Kate and Tony grinned before walking off in the direction of the house.

* * *

That's it for chapter 11...Please review! Tell me what you think of my fic! 


	12. Chapter 12

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews. Hope you like this next chapter

* * *

"Bastards" Gibbs muttered, squinting around the inside of the van, trying to find something to pick the lock with. He growled when he realised there was nothing there that he could use. He briefly considered smashing his cell, but decided against it when he remembered that it was the only way he could be contacted. Ducky had asked Abby to transfer calls from his house to his cell so that he didn't miss anything.

Sighing, he decided to just wait this one out, he could yell at them all later. Looking around the van again, he found the flask of coffee that Ducky had left for him and smiled. Taking a large gulp, he sat on the edge of the van and leaned against the side of it. He heard somebody walking fast on floorboards, probably the ones in the house. He frowned as the footsteps stopped, they must have gone outside, then he heard somebody throwing up. Taking a long sip of his coffee, he decided the crime scene must be pretty bad, unless the guy was new…

His thought process stopped when he felt somebody sit in the back of the van with him. Looking across, he saw a young boy sitting at the other end of the van. He couldn't have been more than six years old.

"Hi" Gibbs said, putting his flask down. When the boy didn't say anything, continuing to stare at him, Gibbs extended his hand, "I'm Special Agent Gibbs. What's your name?"

The boy frowned, ignoring his hand, "Are you a bad man?"

Gibbs retracted his hand, giving the boy a smile as he realised how he must have looked being handcuffed to the van. "No. I'm a federal agent, a police officer. My friends played a joke on me" he replied

"So, why don't you unlock yourself?" the boy asked, his face still a mask of confusion

Gibbs nodded; the kid had a point, "Because I lost my keys a long time ago. I decided I didn't need them"

"Why?" he asked

Gibbs studied the boy, "I don't know"

"That's stupid" the boy declared, "My dad always does stuff for a reason"

"Really? Where is your dad?" Gibbs asked, fearing he knew the answer

The boy looked at him with a lost expression on his face, which turned into fear, then it disappeared.

Gibbs silently swore, here he was talking with potentially, and probably, an eye witness, and he was cuffed to the van. "So, what did you say your name was?" he asked, looking around the van again for something to pick the lock with

"Trent" the boy replied

Gibbs looked back at the boy and smiled, "That's a nice name. How old are you?"

"Five, I'm six next week" Trent replied

"So, you'd be in year one?" Gibbs asked, pulling at the wires under the seat

"Yeah. My teachers want to put me into year two cause I'm smarter than the other kids" Trent boasted

"That's great!" Gibbs encouraged him, "What do you like most about school?"

"Well, spelling is fun and maths is easy" Trent replied

Gibbs silently swore as the wires didn't move, "What about the other kids?"

"They're cool. I have heaps of friends. I'm gonna have a humongous party next week, everybody in my grade is invited" Trent enthused, "And I'm gonna get lots of presents"

Gibbs smiled, thinking of Jake's parties. He carefully got his knife from the back of his pants, moving it at an angle so it wouldn't alarm the boy. Getting the knife under the seat, he started cutting a wire loose. Trying to keep Trent distracted, he asked, "Do you play any sport?"

"Yeah. Football and basketball" Trent replied

"My son plays basketball" Gibbs told him, with a smile

"Really? What's his name?" Trent asked

Gibbs sighed and stopped trying to cut the wire; he forced a smile, "Jake. Jake Gibbs"

Trent thought for a second, then shook his head, "I don't think I know him. Do you have any other kids?"

"No, just Jake" Gibbs replied, cutting the wire again

"Oh" Trent responded, "How old is he?"

"Almost twelve" Gibbs answered, finally getting the wire free. He pulled the wire out and began working on the cuffs

"What are you doing?" Trent asked, getting worried

"My friends forgot to leave me a key, so I'm compromising" Gibbs replied

"What does compromising mean?" Trent asked

Gibbs gave a small laugh, "What do you think it means?" he asked, finally getting the cuffs off

Trent watched as Gibbs put the cuffs in the van and stood up. Then he asked in a small voice, "You're not going to hurt me, are you?"

Gibbs' expression softened, "I wouldn't dream of it"

As Trent continued to look at Gibbs, his lip began to quiver, "Please don't hurt me"

Gibbs' heart constricted at the look on the young boy's face, "Hey, don't cry, shhh" he said, making soothing sounds. He walked closer to Trent and was going to wipe the tears from his face, but when he brought his hand to Trent's face, Trent flinched. Gibbs inwardly sighed. Kneeling down, he put his hand on Trent's knee, "I'm gonna go have a look to see if my friends are out the front of the house, okay? You stay here, I want be long"

When Trent nodded, Gibbs got up slowly and moved to the edge of the doors, scanning the front yard of the house. Nobody. Gibbs went back to kneel in front of Trent again.

"Were they there?" Trent asked, his voice quavering

"No" Gibbs answered softly; "Can I ask you a few questions, Trent? They may be difficult to answer, but it will help us in our investigation. Do you want to help us?"

Trent nodded, tears rolling down his face.

Gibbs looked away, fearing that if he watched the young boy cry, he would also begin with the waterworks. And that wouldn't help either of them. Putting on the role of the investigator, he looked back at Trent, "Okay, I'll start with some easy stuff, but it's eventually going to get harder." Gibbs told him, only continuing when he received a nod, "Can you tell me your full name?"

"Trent Simon Wills" Trent replied

Gibbs nodded, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Trent shook his head, "Only my dog, Betty"

Gibbs smiled, "That's good. You're doing well. Does your dad work for the navy?"

"Yeah, he's a marine" Trent told him, proud ness in his voice

"Does your mother live with you?" Gibbs asked

Trent froze, his face losing its color, then he began crying again.

"Okay, I think that's enough questions for now" Gibbs said, pulling the child in to a hug. Trent put his face into Gibbs' shoulder and cried into it, leaving a wet patch. Gibbs stroked Trent's hair, making soothing noises and trying to calm him down.

"Ah, agent Gibbs?" he heard somebody ask from behind him

Without looking at them, he said softly, "Jimmy, get Ducky, or Kate. Tell them to get down here"

"Now?" Jimmy asked

"No, Jimmy, whenever it suits you" Gibbs said sarcastically

He heard Trent sniff, "Who was that?" he asked when Jimmy scattered off

"Another friend of mine" Gibbs answered

"You have a lot of friends" Trent commented, sniffing again

"Not as many as you" Gibbs replied

Trent sniffed and hiccoughed, sobbing again, "I want my dad"

"I know, son" Gibbs replied

Trent looked up at Gibbs, "What are you gonna do to the person who…?"

"They will be locked up. We'll make sure they go away for a long time" Gibbs responded, pulling himself away and putting his hands on the young boy's shoulders, "Trent, were you there when it happened?"

Trent looked down, avoiding Gibbs' eyes, "I was playing in the closet. I should have tried to stop her" he commented, tears still rolling down his cheeks

"There was nothing you could have done, Trent" Gibbs replied

Trent's shoulders began shaking as the intensity of his sobs increased, "Will I ever see my dad again?"

"Jethro," Ducky said as he rounded the back of the van, stopping when he saw Gibbs comforting the young boy, "Who's your young friend?"

"Ducky, this is Trent Wills. Trent, this is Ducky, another friend who I work with" Gibbs introduced them, watching understanding dawn in Ducky's eyes.

"Ducky?" Trent asked, "That's a strange name"

Ducky smiled, "Yes, I suppose it is. People started calling me by that name around forty years ago, I can't actually remember why, but at the time, it must have been appropriate"

Gibbs smiled, keeping his hands on Trent's shoulders, he looked into his eyes, "Trent, I'm going to talk with Ducky for a moment. Will you be okay?"

Trent shrugged, finally nodding, "Yeah"

"Thatta boy" Gibbs responded, standing up and moving away from the vehicle so that he could talk with Ducky privately.

"He's their son?" Ducky asked, gesturing to the house

"Yeah, he was in the room when it happened. He saw the whole thing" Gibbs replied

"Dear lord" Ducky said, glancing back at the van

"I think he's in shock. The only thing I got from him was that the person who did it was female. He has no brothers or sisters, he's an only child" Gibbs told him

"I see. Okay, I'll go talk with him. Just stay close, he may feel safer if you're nearby" Ducky said

Gibbs gave a small smile, "Where do you think I'd go, Ducky?"

Ducky studied him for a while, wondering what the toll had been on his friend after talking with the young child "Any word from the police?"

"None" Gibbs replied, shaking his head, "I guess no news is good news…to a point"

"They'll find him, Jethro" Ducky told him

"I think we've been over this, Duck" Gibbs responded

Ducky solemnly nodded, then sighed.

Gibbs gestured over his shoulder, "They finished in the house yet?"

"Mr. Palmer should be bringing out the Lieutenant as we speak. However it may be some time yet until your team has finished" Ducky replied

"We should get Trent outta here before Jimmy brings out his dad, he shouldn't have to see that. Maybe take him to Child Services or somewhere" Gibbs suggested

"And who would take him, Jethro? You? I'm not going to let you drive with everything that is on your mind." Ducky asked

Gibbs thought about it for a while, clearly frustrated at having his independence revoked, "Fine. What about you? Jimmy can take care of the body until we get back"

Ducky considered it for several minutes before finally agreeing. They walked back to Trent and coaxed him into the sedan. Gibbs sat in the backseat with him, not wanting to leave him in the backseat by himself. Ducky started the engine and pulled away from the scene.

* * *

That's it for chapter 12...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	13. Chapter 13

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews, they are much appreciated!

Thankyou also to Kate for her exceptional help and support!

* * *

Tony collapsed into his chair and rubbed wearily at his eyes. Kate, McGee and himself had had to get a lift with Jimmy since Ducky and Gibbs had taken the sedan. Tony had been driving, Kate in the passenger seat with McGee and Jimmy in the back. There had been a lot of work to do at the scene, lots of evidence to bag and tag and lots of photos. So it was no surprise that it took a long time to finish up, besides they were technically two agents down. McGee wasn't fully functional yet because of his arm, and Gibbs counted for an agent and then some. When they'd eventually left, they got caught in the middle of rush-hour, which did nothing for Tony's mood, or anyone else's for that matter.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw McGee sit bolt upright in his chair. Tony gazed at the younger agent, vaguely interested in why his face had turned a bright shade of red and why he suddenly looked alert and slightly guilty. His mouth was hanging open and his eyebrows were crinkled.

"Probie, something you want to share with us?" Tony asked

"What time is it?" McGee asked, looking worried

Tony frowned and looked at his watch, "1915. Why? Somewhere to be?"

McGee visibly relaxed, "Yeah, actually," he said, gathering up his gear and shutting down his computer

When McGee didn't say anything else, Tony sat up, "Care to expand on that, Probie?"

McGee sighed, "I'm going to a party, a friend of mine is turning thirty"

Tony's eyes lit up, "A party?"

"Yes, Tony. And no, you can't come." McGee told him

"Why not? I mean, just think of all the…" Tony began, but was stopped by a look from Kate

"Because, Tony, I don't think Kate would appreciate you ogling other women" McGee replied, turning off his lamp

Tony frowned, "I don't ogle, I…"

Kate stood up and interrupted him, "Hang on, what did you just say? How did you know?"

McGee looked surprised, then laughed, "You mean you guys finally…? How long ago?" Kate narrowed her eyes at him. McGee smiled, "Finally. We've been waiting for you guys to hook up since…well, I've been waiting since I started, I thought you were already in a relationship, but…"

"We?" Kate asked, looking at Tony

McGee put his bag down and sat on the edge of his desk with a big smile on his face.

"Ah, apparently Abs, Ducky and Gibbs had a bet going for when we would hook up" Tony explained

Kate frowned at him, "And you know this how?"

"Gibbs told me the other night." Tony replied, then looked at McGee, "He said he thinks Abby and Ducky drew"

Kate did a double take, looking at Tony with a surprised expression, "Gibbs bet on us as well?"

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either," Tony remarked, moving to stand next to Kate

"Wow!" McGee explained, then stood up, "Well, I'd love to stay here and chat, but I have to love you and leave you"

"Hey, none of that" Tony exclaimed, pointing at McGee, "You can just do the leaving part," he said, embracing Kate, "This is my girlfriend here"

McGee smiled and left the bullpen. Kate and Tony exchanged glances.

"Let's say you and me get outta here?" Tony asked

Kate smiled and went back to her desk, "Just let me finish my notes?"

"Ok" Tony conceded, going back to his desk

They heard the elevator ding and looked up, thinking McGee had left something behind. However, instead of McGee, Gibbs, Ducky and the young boy walked out of the elevator. Tony and Kate exchanged confused looks as they approached the bullpen.

"Boss?" Tony asked

Gibbs looked at Tony, then Kate, then looked back at Trent, "Let's get some coffee"

"Do you have hot chocolate?" Trent asked as they left the bullpen again

"Yeah" Gibbs replied

Tony and Kate looked back at Ducky, questioningly.

"He wouldn't let social services take Trent away" Ducky answered them

"They let him keep him?" Tony asked

"You would say 'no' to Gibbs?" Ducky asked, knowing they would understand, "They weren't happy, but they didn't really have a choice"

"Didn't he suggest it?" Kate asked, frowning

"Yes he did, Caitlin. But Jethro isn't exactly acting logically. Just because he suggested it, doesn't mean that he agrees with it" Ducky tried to explain

"Maybe he meant that we should try to find relatives to take him" Tony suggested

"Yeah, well I did that. His father was an only child, as was his mother" Kate informed them

Tony frowned, "What happened to his mother?"

"By all means, she should be alive and well" Kate replied

"Gibbs said that Trent told him the killer was female" Ducky chimed in

They all exchanged looks, "We'll have to get Abby to check up on the DNA tomorrow" Kate said

"Yeah, but the question still remains of where Trent is going to stay tonight" Tony responded

"Well, I think given the circumstances, Jethro is certainly not fit enough to entertain a guest, especially one who is an eyewitness" Ducky told them, "Which also rules me out"

"Guess that leaves us then" Tony responded, "I mean, me or Kate" he quickly covered

"It's about time" Ducky said with a smile

Kate face went red and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I guess that does leave you two," Ducky said, getting them back on track, "It might even help you prepare"

"For what?" Tony asked

"Well, you plan on having a family together, don't you?" Ducky asked, "A bit of role playing never hurt anybody"

"Ducky, we've only been going out for two months now" Kate told him

"Really?" Ducky asked, thinking for a moment, "And how many days?"

"Five" Tony replied instantly

Kate gave Tony a curious look, then looked back to Ducky who was doing some mental arithmetic

Ducky gave them a strange look, "I think I drew with Abigail"

Kate and Tony smiled. "Well…" Kate said, and all the attention focused on her. "You seriously want us to take Trent home with us?"

"No, Trent is coming home with me" Gibbs said as he walked up, taking a large sip from his coffee cup

"Jethro, I'm not going to let you…" Ducky responded

"Ducky, I think I'm most equipped to take care of a child. More than any of you" Gibbs responded, getting annoyed, ignoring the hurt looks from Kate and Tony

"I disagree, Jethro, especially when at the moment you can't take care of yourself" Ducky replied, getting frustrated with him

"What are you implying, Ducky?" Gibbs asked, keeping a thin veil over his rising temper

"I'm not implying anything, Jethro. I just believe that at the moment, you shouldn't look after Trent. Not with everything that's going on with Jake" Ducky responded

"That's your son, isn't it?" Trent interrupted, looking between the adults

Gibbs looked down at Trent and nodded. Looking back at Ducky, he licked his lips and agreed.

"Good" Ducky said, "You made the right choice, Jethro"

"What's happening?" Trent asked

Gibbs knelt down next to the young boy, putting his hands on his shoulders, "You're gonna stay with Kate and Tony tonight, okay? They're gonna take good care of you"

"Why can't I stay with you?" Trent asked, his eyes tearing up

"Because I have some stuff I need to take care of" Gibbs replied

"I could help you" Trent offered

Gibbs gave him a small smile and pulled him into a hug. After a while, they pulled apart, "Kate and Tony are good people" Gibbs said simply

Trent nodded and looked up at Kate and Tony, "Are they more friends you work with?"

"Yeah" Gibbs replied, standing up

* * *

That's it for chapter 13!...Hope you all liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! If you love it, hate it... 


	14. Chapter 14

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews!

Also, a humangous thankyou also to Kate for her fantastic work and support!

* * *

Trent stopped just inside the front door and looked around Kate's apartment. He fidgeted with the bottom of his t-shirt, looking around nervously.

"Hey, buddy, you want something to eat?" Tony asked

Trent nodded and took a few more steps into the apartment.

Tony sighed and shrugged at Kate. Kate rolled her eyes at him and approached Trent, squatting in front of him, "Do you have any ideas? Pizza? Chinese?"

Trent gave her a horrified look, "You don't eat Chinese people?"

Kate smiled, "No, not the people. The food they make"

Kate's smile broadened when she saw Trent look at her uncomprehendingly. He looked around timidly, "Could we get pizza?"

"Of course we can" Kate responded, "What flavor do you want?"

Trent shrugged, looking around again, "Do you guys have a games room?"

Tony smiled; this was definitely his area of expertise, "How about I'll show you around, kiddo," he looked back at Kate, "Do you wanna order the pizzas?"

"Supreme?" Kate asked

"Sounds good" Tony responded, taking Trent into the living area

Kate ordered the pizza's and made some coffee for herself and Tony. After doing a general tidy-up in the kitchen, she went to check on the boys. She heard noise coming from the living room and found them sitting in front of the television, playing games. Smiling, she leaned in the doorway and watched as Trent knocked Tony's car off the race track and won the game. Trent began laughing and mocking Tony.

"I thought you were the master of that game, Tony" Kate quipped

Tony half-heartedly growled at her, "Well, at least I can beat you, Todd"

"Let's do it again!" Trent said enthusiastically

Kate chuckled, "I'll let you boys play, I'm gonna go freshen up. Play nice now"

"Okay. How long till the pizzas arrive?" Tony asked

"Half an hour to forty minutes." Kate replied, bending down to give Tony a kiss

Trent jeered at them, as Kate and Tony broke away blushing.

"Okay, buddy, let's see what you got" Tony bantered, turning back to the game

Kate watched from the door for a while before getting into the shower.

The rest of the night flew by and was considerably eventless, apart from the mini food-fight that broke out in the middle of dinner. After dinner, they watched a movie, laughing together in the funny bits. When Trent started yawning, Kate and Tony decided it was time to put him to bed, after all, he'd had a long, exhausting day.

"But I don't wanna go to bed," Trent argued, yawning again

"We know you don't, honey, but you need your rest for tomorrow" Kate told him

Trent cringed, "What's gonna happen tomorrow?"

Kate sighed and looked at Tony for help. Tony looked just as perplexed as she did, "Well, we're gonna be very busy tomorrow…" Tony eventually said

"Do I …do I have to tell you what happened?" Trent asked, fear showing in his eyes

Kate and Tony exchanged another look, "Maybe. We'll just see what happens first, whilst it would help us if you could, we may not need it" Kate told him

Trent nodded and looked down, "Okay"

Kate stood up and rubbed his back, "You want me to show you where you're going to sleep tonight?"

"Yeah," Trent replied, standing up then looked back and forth between Kate and Tony, "Um, could I glass of milk?"

Tony smiled, "Sure, buddy, I'll bring it in for you, okay?"

"Okay" Trent said with a small smile

Kate guided Trent down the hallway, gesturing to their bedroom as they went passed, "That is Tony and my room. If you get scared or anything, you can come and see us"

Trent nodded. Kate smiled, "And this is your room"

Trent stepped inside and looked around, surprised when he saw some of his stuff laid on the bed. He looked questioningly back at Kate.

"We were able to get some of your stuff from your room" Kate answered his unspoken question

Trent smiled and gave Kate a small hug, "Thanks"

"That's ok. Do you need any help changing?" Kate asked, unsure of what to do

"Nah, I can do that" Trent replied

Kate nodded and closed the door over, whilst he changed.

"You can come in now" Trent called once he was done

Kate walked back in and Trent climbed into bed.

"Um, could you read to me?" Trent asked timidly, holding out a book

Kate smiled and took the book, "Of course I can honey"

Opening the book, Kate started reading the book in an animated and hopefully interesting voice. After several minutes, Kate looked at Trent to see if he was enjoying it, to see that his eyes were closed and his breathing was steady.

Putting the book down, she leaned across and kissed the top of his head, wishing him sweet dreams.

Kate tiptoed back down the hallway, smiling when she saw Tony in the kitchen.

"Hey" she said softly

"Hey," he responded, then frowned, "He's not asleep already?"

Kate nodded, "Out like a light"

"Oh," Tony said, gesturing to the cup of warm milk in his hand, "Guess he doesn't need this anymore then"

Kate smiled, "Guess not"

Tony sighed and grabbed the two coffees off the bench, walking to the couch. They sat down in comfortable silence and thought of the events of the last day.

"Wonder what it'd be like to have kids" Tony said idly, staring into the distance

Kate glanced at Tony, then looked down at her hands, "I don't"

Tony frowned at her, "You don't?"

"Well, I do, but I don't" Kate said as if that clarified it

Tony's frown deepened, "What do you mean by that, Kate?"

"I mean…" Kate trailed off, thinking that maybe this wasn't the best time to tell Tony about her past, "I dunno"

Tony turned around, sitting cross-legged on the couch, he studied Kate for several minutes, "Kate?" he asked.

"It's nothing, Tony. Forget I said anything" Kate told him

Tony frowned, "Well, that's not hard to do, you didn't actually say anything"

"Yeah" Kate said absently

Tony put his hands on Kate's shoulders, "Kate" he said, getting no reply, "Kate look at me". Kate turned around and looked into his eyes, "Please, Kate, tell me what you were going to say. Don't try to tell me it's not important, because you wouldn't make this much fuss, or even have said anything if that was the case"

Kate sighed, looking away to avoid the intensity of his gaze, "I mean, I …I almost had a baby"

Tony's eyebrow's shot through the roof at her revelation, "You what!"

"I…" Kate sighed again, thinking Tony was disappointed in her. Standing up, she began walking away

"Kate, wait, where are you going?" Tony called, getting up and following her. Tony caught her and stood in front of her so she couldn't run away, "What do you mean almost?"

"Well…I had a baby. I was…I was young, Tony. I couldn't have raised the child by myself, so I... I put her up for adoption. It's just…easier to think that I 'almost' had a child" Kate explained, wanting the ground to open up and swallow her, "Satisfied?"

"Wait, hang on" Tony said, trying to digest all of this information at once, "You have a daughter?"

"No, Tony, I don't" Kate replied

"Fine then, you HAD a daughter and she is out there somewhere" Tony clarified

"Tony, don't," Kate warned him, trying to forget about that portion of her life

"And what do you mean you would have had to raise her yourself? What about your parents? Your family?" Tony asked

"They disowned me, Tony" Kate told him, getting frustrated

"They what!" Tony asked, getting annoyed at her family

"Tony!" Kate exclaimed, wishing she hadn't told him

Tony took a deep breath, "How old were you?"

Kate sighed, looking at the wall, "I was almost 17"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Whoa"

Kate looked down and tried to walk past him.

"No, Kate, sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm not judging you, it just…took me by surprise" Tony said quickly, "So, how did it happen?"

"You of all people should know that, sex-machine" Kate responded

Tony took a step back, "Right. Ah, I didn't mean…"

Kate sighed, "I know what you meant, Tony. It wasn't anything weird if that's what you're thinking." Kate paused, remembering back to when it happened, "My boyfriend and I were just having fun. One thing led to another, you know how it works…"

Tony nodded, "Does he know?"

"No" Kate replied

"Okay, any idea where he is now?"

Kate gave a small laugh, "Yeah, probably in prison somewhere"

"Kate…" Tony said disapprovingly

"No, I mean it, Tony. We broke up before I knew I was pregnant, then about five months later, he was arrested for drug trafficking" Kate told him

"Okay" Tony responded, blinking as he tried to process everything she had told him, this was definitely a side of Kate that he hadn't known existed. He raised his eyebrows as he exclaimed, "Wow!"

"Yeah" Kate said, less enthusiastically

Tony put his arm around Kate and led her back to the couch. When they sat down, Tony looked into Kate's eyes, "I don't want you to think that I think any less of you because of what happened. I know that you did what was right for you at the time, okay?"

Kate gave him a small smile and nodded, whispering, "Thank you"

Tony smiled at her and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He let her cry over his shoulder for the child she almost had.

* * *

That's it for chapter 14!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think... 


	15. Chapter 15

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews

Thankyou again to Kate, for her fantastic work

* * *

Gibbs woke up suddenly, sitting bolt-upright in the darkness. Trying to gather his surroundings, he squinted around the room and tried to concentrate on what had woken him up. Then he heard it. His cell was ringing. Gibbs' heart skipped a beat as he jumped up and ran towards the sound, trying to remember where he put his cell. Running through the darkness, he fell into the coffee table, giving a small yelp as he banged his knee hard. Biting his lip, he reached onto the coffee bench and retrieved his cell, "Gibbs!"

"Jethro, it's Tobias" Fornell said on the other end of the phone, causing Gibbs' heart to constrict. Then he heard that the other man was speaking again, "You probably know by now I was put in charge of your case"

Gibbs' mouth was suddenly very dry and his brain wasn't co-operating enough to allow him to form words.

"Jethro, you there?" Fornell asked

Gibbs nodded, then realised Fornell couldn't see him, "Yeah" he whispered

He heard Fornell sigh, "We were going to wait till morning to tell you, but I knew that you would want to know now" Fornell paused, as if considering his words, "Two days ago, a van stopped at a petrol station north of where we found the abandoned van. The driver was a man matching your father's description"

Gibbs bit down on his lip harder, drawing blood. Rubbing his eyes, he prepared himself for the worst. He looked up as Ducky came into the kitchen, with a worried expression on his face.

"This afternoon, a local farmer found the van in a ditch just outside his property. Our team went up there and canvassed the area, but turned up nada. The van itself was a mess…" Fornell continued

Gibbs looked at Ducky, his eyes sparkling, "Did you find anything?" he asked in a quivering voice

Fornell sighed heavily, "Yeah. But, I think you should come down here for this"

Gibbs nodded, trying to swallow the big lump in his throat, "I'll be right over"

"Who was it?" Ducky asked as Gibbs hung up

"Fornell, they want me at headquarters" Gibbs replied, looking around for his jacket and keys

"Oh dear" Ducky said quietly

Locating his jacket, Gibbs turned to Ducky, "Where are my keys?"

"I have them" Ducky replied. Gibbs held out his hand expectantly. Ducky looked at the outstretched hand and scoffed, "You're not driving, Jethro"

"Oh, you'd better believe it, Ducky, now give me my keys" Gibbs said, taking a step closer

"I'm not going to have you endanger the lives of the public, and ours, with your insane driving" Ducky told him

"Ducky, I'm not going to argue with you on this one" Gibbs told him

"I know, there is no argument. Now, get in the car" Ducky responded

"No! Ducky, give me my damn keys!" Gibbs said, getting aggravated and anxious

"Jethro, you are in no condition to drive" Ducky said, trying to keep Gibbs calm

"Yes I am!" Gibbs said, indignantly

"We're wasting time arguing when we could be half-way there now" Ducky told him calmly

"Exactly!" Gibbs shouted, "Give me my keys!"

"Jethro, you're acting like a child" Ducky told him, his tone suggesting no argument, "I'm driving and that is final"

Gibbs glared at Ducky, clenching and unclenching his fists, "You have no right telling me what I can and can't do."

"Okay, I won't. But if you want to go to see the FBI, I suggest you get in the car" Ducky said as he walked out the door

Gibbs stared after him, trying to figure out who had won the argument. His hunch was confirmed, however, when he heard his car start. Swearing aloud, Gibbs walked out of the house and got into the passenger seat of the car, glaring at Ducky, who simply smiled.

"Not funny, Duck" Gibbs told him as Ducky backed out of the driveway.

* * *

Gibbs and Ducky walked into the bullpen at FBI headquarters to find only one lamp still on. Fornell sat leaning back in his chair, snoring softly in his sleep. Gibbs shook his head, _must've been a long day_, he thought as he looked at his watch: 0438. Fornell's computer started beeping, causing Fornell to wake up. He glanced at the elevator and saw Gibbs and Ducky.

"Jethro" he said in greeting, standing up "Ducky"

"Tobias," Gibbs replied, whilst Ducky merely nodded

Fornell gestured to the empty desks with a trace of a smile, "Sent the rest of my team home with orders to rest" he said, trying to put off what he had to tell Gibbs

Gibbs nodded, "Long day?" he asked, playing along as he realised he didn't want to hear any bad news and would put it off as long as humanly possible

"You could say that. We've working non-stop since we picked up the trail at the garage" Fornell replied

The three men stood in an uncomfortable silence for a while, neither Gibbs nor Fornell wanting to make the next step.

Ducky looked between the two men and cleared his throat, "Agent Fornell, you said you had something that we would want to see?"

Fornell sighed, wishing he could delay it further, "Yeah. I didn't want to show you this, but …I think the powers that be thought it would help you…personally I disagree…"

"Tobias, what is it?" Gibbs interrupted

Fornell walked back to his desk and grabbed an evidence bag and gave it to Gibbs, "We found this is the van. We would have washed it or something before giving it to you, but it's come directly from the lab"

Gibbs nodded and looked at the bag, it held Jake's sports jumper from school. On the front of the jumper were stains of blood.

* * *

That's it for chapter 15!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Please! Tell me what you think! 


	16. Chapter 16

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou for all your reviews!

Also a humangous thankyou to Kate for her fantastic help and support

* * *

Ducky led an unresponsive Gibbs out of the bullpen, ignoring the looks of sympathy they were getting from some of the other agents that were now in the office.

After realizing what the bag contained, Gibbs had not reacted all that well. He'd only just made it to the bathroom in time to throw up the small amount of food that Ducky had managed to get him to eat last night. As Gibbs had made his way back to the bullpen, he started hyperventilating and had almost passed out. Ducky and Fornell had helped him to a nearby chair, giving him plenty of water. Fornell had told him everything they had found and updated him on their progress, which was minimal.

After Fornell had brought him up to date, Gibbs continued to sit in the chair, staring at the ground. Ducky had briefly left, picking up some coffee, making sure to put plenty of sugar in it. But when he returned, Gibbs didn't drink any of the coffee, letting it go cold on the desk. After around an hour, Ducky decided it was time to get them home, saying goodbye to Fornell and wishing him luck, which he gratefully took, saying he needed it.

The ride home was silent, apart from the humming of the engine, and the light pitter-patter of the rain on the windscreen.

When Ducky pulled up at Gibbs' house and pulled the handbrake into park, Gibbs remained in his seat. Ducky sighed, getting out of the car and around to the passenger door and opening it.

Gibbs looked up as the surface he was resting his head on was removed. He still made no attempt to move, vaguely wondering where they were and what they were doing here.

Ducky reached across and undid the seatbelt, helping Gibbs out of the car and moving him towards the house. Once Ducky had let them into the house, Gibbs moved to the couch and sat down, clutching the bag to his chest.

Ducky sighed and went to the kitchen to make them breakfast, god only knew they would need their food today. Looking through the cupboards and the fridge, he found eggs, tomato and some bacon. Smiling, he set about making a fry-up, knowing that Gibbs would need a hearty breakfast. As he finished frying the eggs and put them on their plates next to the bacon, tomato and toast, he heard noise from the lounge room. He putting the fry pan in the sink and rinsed it under some water, before heading back to the room with the plates. He stopped just outside the room, taking a deep breath at what he saw.

Gibbs was sitting on the couch, knees at his chest, hugging the blood-stained jumper. He'd managed to get it out of the bag. On the TV was an old recording of when Jake was seven, Jake and Gibbs were at the park, at the swings.

"_Oh, come on daddy, I want to go higher" Jake told Gibbs_

"_And what if you fall off?" Gibbs asked as he gave Jake another push_

"_I won't" Jake told him_

"_Why not?" Gibbs asked with a grin_

"_Because you won't let me" Jake answered_

_Gibbs chuckled, "You got that right"_

"_Please?" Jake asked nicely_

"_I don't want you to hurt yourself, kiddo" Gibbs told him_

"_I won't, and if I did fall off, you'd catch me" Jake explained_

Gibbs put his face into the jumper and began crying, his whole body shaking with grief.

Ducky walked into the room, quickly setting the plates onto the coffee table. He sat down and drew Gibbs into a hug, trying to stop the pain. Gibbs put his face into Ducky's shoulder, the intensity of his sobs increased and his tears came faster, running down his face into Ducky's shirt. Ducky made soothing noises, trying to calm the younger man down, to share his grief.

Gibbs pressed his face harder into Ducky's shoulder, making him think the crying would never stop. After what seemed like hours, the intensity of his sobs decreased until Ducky couldn't hear them at all. He kept holding the younger man, wishing he could take away his grief and make things right again. Finally Ducky looked down at him and found that Gibbs had cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Kate woke up as her alarm clock buzzed. Groaning, she rolled over, confused when she realised Tony wasn't in beside her. She frowned and slowly got out of bed, wandering into the kitchen.

"Boom!" she heard someone shoot and laugh

"You just wait till the next bit" now that voice definitely came from Tony

Walking into the room where the noise came from, she saw Tony and Trent sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons.

"Is he gonna get him?" Trent asked, shuffling closer to the screen as Wlie E. Coyote set up a trap for Road Runner

Tony chuckled, "Just wait and see, kiddo"

Kate sat in the armchair behind Tony and rubbed his back.

"Hey honey" Tony said, leaning back and giving her a soft kiss

"Hi, sleep well?" Kate asked, watching as Road Runner ran around the trap and Wlie E. Coyote got flattened

"Yay! Did you see that!" Trent shouted, "Can we see it again?"

"Sure" Tony said, crawling forward to rewind the tape, then returned to his seat, "Yeah, had a strange dream though"

Kate smiled, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Tony replied, leaning back into her embrace again, "I dreamt I was naked at work"

Kate laughed, "That could be interesting"

"You'd think so. But you weren't there and I was looking for you, then I was in a park and tripped, then woke up" Tony explained

Trent laughed aloud again, shuffling closer to the screen again as the same scene played on the TV.

"Want some breakfast?" Kate asked

"Yeah, I'll help" Tony offered, "Hey, kiddo, we're gonna make brekkie. You okay here by yourself?"

Trent grunted, watching the characters closely.

Kate smiled and left the room, Tony following close behind. They quickly prepared breakfast and ate in the lounge room in front of the television. After having showers and getting ready for work, they eventually left the house. When they arrived in the bullpen, they found McGee already working at his desk.

Kate booted up her computer and looked at Tony, "I'm gonna take Trent to the kids care area, be back in around twenty"

Tony stood up and walked towards Kate and Trent, "Okay, buddy, I might see you later" he said as he gave Trent a big hug

"But I don't want you to go" Trent said, tears forming in his eyes

"Hey, kiddo, don't cry, I'll come and see you at lunch, okay?" Tony asked, "Kate and I need to do some work now"

"You're gonna arrest her and lock her up?" Trent asked

Tony frowned, "Who?"

Trent looked down and away, his shoulders shaking.

"Hey, it's okay" Tony whispered, giving him a firm hug

Trent nodded and wipped his nose on his sleeve, "Okay, see ya later, Tony"

Kate led Trent away, leaving Tony squatting in the middle of the bullpen.

"How was he last night?" McGee asked

"Not bad, didn't cry or anything" Tony said, standing up, "I'm gonna see Ducky"

McGee stood up, "I'll come with you, I need to ask him something"

They made their way to the elevator and rode down in silence. When they reached autopsy, however, they were surprised to find the lights still off and nobody inside.

* * *

That's it for chapter 16!...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	17. Chapter 17

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews, i really appreciate them

Thankyou also to Kate for her great help and fantastic ideas!

* * *

Ducky laid out some clothes for Gibbs, listening to the sound of the running water. He'd found it hard to get Gibbs up and motivated, eventually telling him to take a shower.

Ducky quickly ate some toast and changed, having had a shower earlier. He heard the water stop, followed shortly after by the opening of the bathroom door.

"Jethro, I rang Mr. Palmer, he said he'd get to the office as soon as he can to start the autopsy, so we have some time before we have to get there" Ducky called

He heard Gibbs grunt and the sound of his bedroom door close. Ducky sighed and patiently waited while Gibbs changed. Making some coffee, he filled Gibbs' mug, setting it on the table beside a bowl of cereal. Sitting down with his own cup of tea, Ducky began reading through the newspaper.

A noise in the kitchen made him look up, and saw Gibbs leaning against the bench.

"We going?" Gibbs asked

"We can take our time getting there, Jethro. Why don't you sit down and have something to eat?" Ducky suggested

Gibbs looked for a moment like he was going to refuse, but decided it was better not to argue. He sat down and picked up the spoon, using it to move around the cereal in the bowl. When he spotted the coffee, he took a long gulp, almost emptying the cup.

Ducky watched him in mild fascination. Gibbs finished the cup, getting up to refill it.

After several minutes, Ducky looked over the newspaper again, folding it into quarters, "Jethro, are you going to eat that?" he asked, gesturing to the bowl

Gibbs shook his head, "Not hungry" he whispered

Ducky sighed, picking up the bowl and their cups, putting them in the sink. Grabbing the keys, he looked behind him to make sure Gibbs was following and started the engine of the car. The ride to headquarters was again made in silence as Gibbs didn't feel like talking and Ducky respected that, keeping quiet.

When they got into autopsy, they saw Jimmy standing over the dead Lt. talking to him about something. Ducky raised his eyebrows, thinking it strange and slightly amusing that his assistant had taken to talking to their visitors. Gibbs frowned and slightly tilted his head to the side, but lost interest fast.

"Ah, Doctor Mallard, Agent Gibbs" Jimmy greeted them, pushing his glasses up his nose

"Mr. Palmer" Ducky said in greeting

Gibbs gave a small nod, then lay down on the slab next to the Lt., closing his eyes.

"Here, Jethro" Ducky said, giving him a roll of hand towel

Gibbs took the roll and put it under his head, sighing as he closed his eyes again.

"I'll be right out, Mr. Palmer, I'm just going to change" Ducky told him

Jimmy watched Ducky leave the room, his eyes resting on Gibbs, "I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs"

"About what?" Gibbs asked quietly

"About your son" Jimmy replied

Gibbs was silent for a while, before growling, "He's still alive, Jimmy."

"But, how do you know?" Jimmy asked, either not hearing or ignoring the warning in Gibbs' tone

"I just know, Jimmy!" he almost shouted, "He's not dead!" he added, choking on the last word

"Sorry" Jimmy apologized

Gibbs sighed, "Don't apologize, it's a sign of weakness, besides, you're not the person who kidnapped him"

"What's going on out here?" Ducky asked as he walked back into autopsy, he'd heard the raised voices and had gotten concerned

"Nothing, Ducky" Gibbs said, putting his arm over his face

"Mr. Palmer?" Ducky asked, not entirely believing Gibbs

"Nothing happened, Doctor Mallard" Jimmy replied

Ducky nodded, not quite believing them, but he wasn't going to raise the issue now. Ducky put his gloves on as Jimmy helped him into a gown, then started the autopsy. He continually stopped to talk to the Lieutenant's face.

"You know, I used to know a young man who looked very much like you. We met in England on a rainy day. He had a flat tyre and there wasn't another gas station for…" he said as he worked

The doors to autopsy whooshed open and Tony and McGee walked in

"Ducky" Tony greeted him, "We came earlier but you weren't here"

"Anthony. No, I was at Jethro's house" Ducky explained

Tony quirked an eyebrow at him, "So, whatcha got for us?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid. The cause of death is apparent. Before he died, he fought with the attacker, scratching them" Ducky picked up one of the Lt.'s hands and showing them, "I've taken a scraping of the skin under his nails and sent it to Abby for analysis"

Tony nodded, "And these bruises?" he asked, pointing to some bruises over the body

"They're a couple of days old" Ducky replied

"Anything else unusual?" McGee asked

"No, but I can tell you that the person who did this is shorter than our marine. The angle of the knife wounds suggests that the attacker was around 5 foot 7." Ducky replied

"Left- handed?" Tony asked hopefully

"Unfortunately no, Anthony. The angle suggests the attacker was right handed" Ducky replied

"Ok, anything else?" Tony asked

"Not at the moment. I'll call if there is" Ducky responded

Tony smiled and began walking out of autopsy, McGee following in his wake.

"Come back" Gibbs muttered, stirring in his sleep

Tony exchanged a worried look with Ducky, "Boss?"

"He's asleep, Anthony" Ducky said quietly

"Don't go" Gibbs said, then groaned and rolled over, almost falling off the slab as Tony tried to catch him. They fell to the floor, partially waking Gibbs up.

"Don't hurt him!" Gibbs shouted at Tony, still in the grips of his nightmare, he grabbed the front of Tony's shirt

McGee recognized the situation and ran forward, grabbing Gibbs' arms before he could hurt the younger agent. The three men struggled until eventually Tony and McGee had pinned Gibbs to the ground.

"Keep him still" Ducky told them, filling a syringe

"What're you doing, Duck?" Gibbs gasped

"Giving you a sedative" Ducky replied, advancing on the trio

"I don't need one" Gibbs told him, renewing his struggle

"I beg to differ" Ducky replied

"Ducky, please" Gibbs said, trying to get out of the younger agents' hold

"It'll be okay, Jethro" Ducky responded, sticking the syringe into him and plunging the liquid in

"Ducky" Gibbs said, tears forming in his eyes, "I need to help…gotta find…Jake" he said in gasps as the sedative took effect

Tony and McGee stood up, still surprised at the turn of events

"Boys, would you please help him up there?" Ducky asked nicely, gesturing to the autopsy table that Gibbs had just vacated, "I'm not the man I used to be"

* * *

That's it for chapter 17!...Hope you liked it! Please review! 


	18. Chapter 18

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for you reviews!

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her great ideas and fantastic work!

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly, the team conducted interviews and continued collecting data, but nothing of interest came to light. Abby tests were inconclusive, so she had to run them again. The tests results that did come through didn't tell them anything they didn't already know. It seemed the key to the whole case was the traumatized young boy who'd witnessed the crime.

Kate and Tony left the bullpen with Trent jumping along beside them, telling them of how his day was at the daycare centre. He was bubbling with excitement, which seemed to be contagious. They decided to take the young boy out to dinner and then to the movies.

They went to Kate's apartment to freshen up after the day at headquarters and change. Then Tony took them to a new upbeat restaurant that had opened not too far from the centre of the city. Tony took one look at the menu and gave Kate a broad smile.

Kate took one look at him and rolled her eyes, "They have steak"

Tony nodded, "What're you having, honey?"

"I think I'll go the pasta" Kate replied

"Kate, we can have pasta at home" Tony said with a frown

"Tony, dearest, we can have steak at home as well" Kate quipped

Tony smiled at her, then turned his attention to the youngster sitting next to him, "And you, buddy?"

"Um," Trent said nervously

Kate smiled, "It's ok, honey, you can have anything you want"

Trent gave a small smile, still frowning, "Can I have the kid's menu?"

"Oh" Kate said as understanding dawned on her.

"Hi," Tony said to a waiter as she walked past, giving her his charming smile

"Hi" the waiter smiled back, walking back to Tony, "What can I do for you?"

Tony was just about to ask for the kids menu when Kate kicked him under the table. "Ouch!" he exclaimed

"Is something wrong?" the waiter asked worriedly

"Kid's menu?" Trent asked, giving Kate and Tony strange looks

"Of course" the waiter smiled, walking off

"What was that for?" Tony asked, rubbing his shin

"For leering at the waiter" Kate replied

Tony scoffed, "I wasn't leering"

"What does leering mean?" Trent asked, sitting up on his chair

"I don't need to protect my reputation, nobody knows us here. Not that I would anyway, I only have eyes for you" Tony said, ignoring Trent

Kate narrowed her eyes at him and was about to reply when the waiter returned, leaning over Tony, giving him a face full of her breasts, as she gave the menu to Trent.

Tony cleared his throat and looked away, whilst Kate said rudely, "Excuse me, would you mind not shoving your breasts in my husband's face?"

A few patrons looked their way as Kate's voice had carried. Tony gave the waiter a forced smile as she walked away.

"How rude!" Kate spat, "And you shouldn't have egged her on"

Tony looked at her, shocked and surprised, "I didn't do anything"

Kate rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Can I get chicken nuggets and fries?" Trent eventually asked

"Sure, buddy" Tony replied, wondering what was going on with Kate

Tony reached over the table and took a hold of Kate's hand, giving it a squeeze. Kate smiled at him, reaching over and giving his a kiss.

"Ew!" Trent exclaimed, "Girl germs"

Tony chuckled and ruffled his hair, "So we ready to order?"

"Yeah," Kate responded, still holding his hand

Trent's stomach grumbled, causing him to blush a deep red.

Tony smiled, "Ok, let's eat"

* * *

Gibbs slowly opened his eyes, confused when he saw nothing. He frowned and sat up, blinking furiously to clear the fuzz from his brain. Lifting his hand up, he waved it in the air around him, trying to see through the darkness.

"Ducky!" he shouted, trying to stay calm

He patted the soft surface he was sitting on, shifting to the end, figuring he must be in a bed. As he stood up, his legs gave way beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor.

"Ducky!" he shouted, even louder, "Jake!"

Moaning, he rolled over, trying to make sense of what was happening. As he sat up, he knocked his elbow on something, then he heard something crash on the floor. Startled, he tried to get up again but fell back down, causing him to shout out when something stuck into his shoulder and shin.

Suddenly, the door opened, sending light through the room. Someone rushed to his side, "Ah, Jethro, what happened?" he heard Ducky ask

Gibbs squinted at him, waiting for his eyes to adjust, "I dunno" he mumbled

Ducky huffed, "Stay there whilst I clean this mess up, or else you'll cut yourself again"

Gibbs nodded as Ducky left the room. He looked around and saw that he was in his bedroom, but he couldn't remember how he got there. Looking around, he noticed that he'd knocked his clock off of his bedside table and he was laying in the shattered remnants of it. Groaning, he looked at his shoulder and saw where a big patch of red had come through his white T-shirt.

Ducky came back in the room and started clearing the shards of the clock into a plastic bag. Glancing at Gibbs' shoulder, Ducky frowned, "Are you okay?"

"I really don't know" Gibbs replied softly, not talking about his physical state

Ducky gave him a smile, "Don't worry, we'll have you cleaned up in no time"

Gibbs watched Ducky clean the area up, "I don't remember how I got back here"

"Well I'd be surprised if you did. You were still unconscious. Abigail, Timothy and Jimmy helped me get you off the slab into a wheelchair, and then into the car, whilst Anthony and Caitlyn helped me get you up here" Ducky replied, dusting off the last fragments, "Now, I think that about does it."

"Why was I unconscious?" Gibbs asked, trying to connect the dots

"You were somewhat…hysterical, so I gave you a sedative" Ducky explained, helping Gibbs to sit up

"That's why I feel so boneless" Gibbs deduced

"Yes, I'd say so. And perhaps, that you haven't eaten a proper meal for a few days now" Ducky answered, putting his arm over Gibbs' shoulders, "Do you think you can stand?"

Ducky helped Gibbs stand up, and helped him hobble down to the lounge room.

"Now, lets get these cuts seen to" Ducky said to himself, leaving Gibbs sitting on the couch to find the first aid kit

"What time is it?" Gibbs called

"6 o'clock" Ducky replied, coming back with the kit.

Gibbs watched Ducky work on the wounds, vaguely interested in what the older man was doing.

"Once you're all cleaned up, you are going to have something to eat" Ducky told him, his tone breaching no argument, "I made you roast beef"

"I'm not hungry" Gibbs told him

"Yes you are" Ducky argued, "Mashed potato, steamed veggies, everything you need" Ducky said as he finished work on Gibbs' shin

Gibbs sighed and gave in; maybe some food would do him some good.

"Do you a world of good" Ducky continued, almost as if he read Gibbs' mind, "Reminds me of when I was in London. One of the young doctors, a diagnostician, was working a long shift and hadn't eaten for around 36 hours. After he eventually had something to eat, he knew exactly what one of his patients had, the patient had been bugging the young doctor all day because he didn't seem to know what it was"

"What was it?" Gibbs asked

"I can't remember. But unfortunately, it wasn't curable and the patient died a few weeks later" Ducky told him, then looked at Gibbs, "I shouldn't have told you that, should I?"

Gibbs sighed and looked away, "You don't have to censor everything you say, Duck"

"No, just most things" Ducky agreed, patting Gibbs' leg, "You're done. The pumpkin still isn't ready yet, it shouldn't be too long"

Gibbs nodded, "Could you get me a drink?"

"I'm only giving you water until you have some food in you" Ducky replied

"Fine" Gibbs said, "How long till the pumpkin's done?"

Ducky smiled, "Let me check on it"

Several minutes later, Ducky returned with two plates full of food. He set one next to Gibbs and put the other on the coffee table, "Eat!" he commanded before walking away.

Gibbs picked up the knife and fork and had a few mouthfuls before Ducky returned, putting a glass with amber liquid next to Gibbs' water and setting his cup of tea next to his own plate.

Ducky smiled when he saw Gibbs eating, "Good" he merely said before tucking into his own meal.

* * *

That's it for chapter 18!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think 


	19. Chapter 19

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews!

Warning: Violent scenes

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and help!

* * *

"Ah hah!" McGee exclaimed, standing up, "I found some of Trent's relatives, well, friends, but they were listed in his dad's will"

Tony and Kate exchanged glances, "Say that again" Kate said

"I managed to get a sneak peak of his dad's will. He left some money and a few personal effects to some people in California. I did a background check on them; they went to college together and have been close ever since." McGee explained, "They said they'd be happy to take Trent"

Tony put his hand on Kate's shoulder, knowing that she didn't want to let the child go.

"No," Kate said to McGee. "He's beginning to trust us"

"But you can't keep him" McGee said,

"Kate, our job is too dangerous" Tony told her

"You want him to leave?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows

"He needs to be with people he knows" Tony argued

"He knows us" Kate insisted

"But it's not the same, Kate. We can't give him what he needs," Tony said softly

"We can try" Kate said, matching his tone, "He may even tell us who did this"

"He may never tell anyone" Tony answered, "Kate; we have to let him go"

Kate sighed, knowing Tony was right. She looked at him, knowing he felt the same way, "Let's say goodbye then?"

Tony nodded and held her hand as they made their way to the day-care centre. As they reached the centre, Trent saw them and came running out, giving them both a big hug.

"We going home now?" Trent asked

Kate looked into his eyes then gave him another hug. When she stepped back, Tony knelt down in front of the young boy, "Trent, do you remember Dave Grant?"

Trent nodded, then looked at them both, shocked, as he realised what was happening.

"I'm leaving?" Trent asked, his eyes watering up

"Yeah, buddy" Tony replied

"I don't want to go" Trent told them, "I want to stay here with you"

"Honey, you can't stay with us, we have a very dangerous job, and you deserve better" Kate said, kneeling next to Tony

"I don't want any better," Trent responded, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I want you"

Tony rubbed the tears off Trent's face with his thumb, "You can always visit us, you know where we are"

Trent began sobbing and gave them both a hug, holding them tightly. After what seemed like hours, they broke apart. Kate and Tony looked at the young boy, not knowing what the future held.

"You take care of yourself, buddy" Tony said as he stood up

"Okay" Trent said with a smile

Kate gave him another hug, "And be a good girl"

Trent gave her a strange look, "I'm a boy, silly"

Kate smiled, "Just playing"

Trent returned the smile, "And you be a good girl" he said

When Tony and Kate walked back down the corridor, Kate started crying. Tony rubbed her back and pulled her into a hug, wishing he could ease her pain.

"We could always try to find your daughter" Tony whispered, "It's not like we don't have the resources"

"She wouldn't be my daughter, Tony; she'd be somebody else's. Somebody else would have looked after her and raised her" Kate sobbed, "I wish that someone was me"

* * *

Gibbs sighed as he made his way back to autopsy. He rode the elevator down to the lab and stopped just outside the doors, squinting as his brain adjusted to her too loud music.

"Abs!" he shouted as he entered the lab

Abby turned around in her chair and smiled, "Boss-man!" she shouted

Gibbs grumbled and walked around her to turn off her music.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" Abby exclaimed

Gibbs rubbed his head and set the container of caf-Pow! on her bench, which she immediately grabbed, "How can you work with that noise?" he grumbled

Abby frowned, "You're such a kill-joy"

"Kill-joy?" Gibbs asked with a blank look

Abby rolled her eyes, suddenly changing the topic, she exclaimed, "So, what's new!"

Gibbs winced at the loud noise and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Abby frowned at him, "You know, boss-man, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you have a hang-over"

"That obvious?" Gibbs asked quietly

Abby nodded, "Have you heard anything?"

"Not a word" Gibbs admitted, looking into his cup of coffee

Abby put her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, the gesture meaning so much more than words.

Gibbs took a deep breath and looked at Abby, "I should probably get back to Ducky, he'll think I've fallen off the edge of the planet"

Abby gave him a small smile, "Okay,"

Gibbs took the elevator down to autopsy, watching through the doors as Ducky studied the face of Lieutenant Wills and talked to him about something. The corners of his mouth tilted up, but didn't quite make a smile. He strolled into the lab and sat on the autopsy table next to the dead Lt. Ducky looked up at Gibbs, "What took so long?"

Gibbs took a long sip of his coffee before answering, "Paid a visit to Abby"

"How is young Abigail?" Ducky asked, "I haven't seen her in a good few days"

"Her usual perky self" Gibbs replied, laying down on his back

Ducky studied Gibbs for a moment, "I told you you shouldn't have drank so much last night" he reprimanded

Closing his eyes, he remarked, "It sounded like a good idea at the time"

"It always does" Ducky said offhandedly

"Don't you have something you could give me?" Gibbs asked quietly, keeping his eyes closed as the light was making his head thump

"Some magical cure to take your hangover away and make you bright and chirpy?" Ducky suggested, leaning over the Lieutenant

"Yeah," Gibbs replied

"I have aspirin, and Prozac" Ducky said, picking up a scalpel

Gibbs turned over and watched Ducky work for a while, "Serious?" he eventually asked

"About what, Jethro?" Ducky asked

"You think I need an anti-depressant?" Gibbs asked

"Perhaps" Ducky said offhandedly, "It would be easier to be around you"

"What are you saying?" Gibbs asked

Ducky was saved from answering when his phone rang. He put his scalpel down, promising the Lt. that he'd be right back. Ducky listened for a while, then put the phone down.

"That was Abigail, some mail has just arrived for you" Ducky told him

"Here?" Gibbs asked

"They delivered it to your desk; Anthony brought it down to the lab when he saw the writing on the front. He thought it best that it was opened in a secure area" Ducky told him

Gibbs followed Ducky into the lab, thankful that Abby had turned her music off. He didn't know whether to be thankful or fearful when he noticed they hadn't opened the parcel yet. It lay in a ventilator, unopened.

"Ready?" Abby asked him

"Probably not" Gibbs answered

Abby looked to Ducky, then to Tony, before putting her hands through the sockets and cutting open the tape. She placed the knife down and unfolded the top of the box, revealing something wrapped in tissue paper. Frowning, she took it out and unwrapped it. She gasped as she saw what it was.

"Dear lord" Ducky said quietly, looking decidedly pale

Tony stared at the object, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, words failing him.

Abby looked back at Gibbs, whose eyes shone with tears. He uttered a single word, "No".

She looked back at the small hand that had been wrapped in the tissue paper, trying to comprehend what kind of monster could have done this.

Gibbs took a step back, hitting the wall. He gasped for breath as he forgot how to breathe. Ducky tore his eyes away from the vat to see Gibbs slide to the floor, holding his chest. Moving quickly to his side, Ducky took him by the shoulders, "Calm down, Jethro, breathe"

Gibbs choked a breathe, clutching his chest, straining for air.

"Abby, call the paramedics" Ducky said in an even voice, keeping his attention focused on Gibbs

The tightness in his chest got worse, "Can't breathe" Gibbs wheezed

"I can see that" Ducky said, trying to get him in a position that would open up his lungs

Tony looked around, still having not moved from when Abby opened the parcel. Eventually he moved to Ducky's side, "Is there anything I can do?"

"See if Abby has any oxygen, good knows what she keeps in that evidence locker" Ducky replied

Tony nodded, quickly asking Abby if she knew what she had down there. When Abby shook her head, Tony left the room.

"Duck?" Abby asked, unsure of what she should do now

Gibbs gasped and clasped his chest, tears running freely down his cheeks

"Meet the ambulance and direct them in here. Tell them he's having a heart attack" Ducky said calmly

"Roger," Abby replied, rushing off to the elevator

Ducky rubbed Gibbs' back as he wheezed and gasped, trying to get in the much needed oxygen.

Gibbs was starting to lose consciousness as the paramedics came into the lab, Abby following close behind. Ducky quickly exchanged information with the paramedics, conveying his heart rate and so forth, then stepped back to let them do their job. Ducky hugged Abby as they watched the EMTs begin prepping Gibbs for the ride. They helped the EMTs get Gibbs onto the trolley and watched as he was wheeled into the elevator.

* * *

That's it for chapter 19!...Hope you liked it! Please review! Tell me what you think! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also, a humangous thankyou to Kate for all her fantastic work and help!

* * *

"McGee, do you have Lt Wills' wife's phone records?" Kate asked, standing up and stretching

"Ah, no, Tony was getting them" McGee responded

Kate looked around the bullpen, realizing Tony wasn't back yet. She was about to ring him when her phone rang.

"Todd" she answered

"Kate, it's Tony" Tony said on the other end of the phone

"Hey, I was just about to call you" Kate told him

"Yeah. Um, look, are you sitting down?" Tony asked

Frowning, she lied, "Yes. What's up?"

She heard Tony sigh, "Ah, Gibbs had a heart attack. He's been taken to Bethesda; we're on our way there now"

Kate quickly sat down, "He had a heart attack?"

"Yeah, I'll explain later" Tony responded

"Ok. We'll be right over" Kate said

Tony nodded, "Ok, see you later, then"

"Bye" Kate replied, hanging up

* * *

Kate and McGee arrived at the ER, finding Tony restlessly pacing the room and Abby sitting on a waiting chair, staring at something in the distance. Tony noticed them walk in and ran forward, giving Kate a big hug. McGee sat next to Abby putting his arm around her shoulders. Abby leaned against McGee, letting him hug her.

They stayed in silence, carefully watching anybody who walked passed, waiting for news. Eventually Ducky walked through the double doors. The team turned and watched him, trying to gauge by his expression what had happened.

"Ducky?" Tony asked

Ducky gave them a small smile, "He should be fine. It was a bit touch and go for a while, but now he's stabilized. The doctors want to keep him in for twenty four to forty-eight hours, for observation."

"Can we see him?" Kate asked

"Of course, he may be asleep when you go in. Only two of you can go in there at one time and for on more than ten minutes or so, the doctors don't want to put him in any stressful conditions." Ducky explained, showing them through

The team followed Ducky, who showed them through a few corridors, eventually stopping outside a room.

"Do you two wanna go in first? I think I need some time" Abby asked

Kate and Tony nodded, walking forward. Ducky stopped them before they entered, speaking quietly, "Just be careful what you say" he warned them

Taking note of the advice, they walked into the room. In the bed in the middle of the room, Gibbs lay with his torso showing. There were wires attached to his chest and a machine, monitoring his heart rate.

"Hey" Gibbs said softly when he saw them enter the room. He squinted at them, trying to keep his eyes open and not fall asleep, but it was a losing battle.

"Boss" Tony greeted him, showing Kate to one of the chairs, then sitting down himself.

"Hey, Gibbs" Kate said

"Has Abby analyzed the DNA?" Gibbs asked, momentarily closing his eyes

"Not yet, boss" Tony replied

"How are you feeling?" Kate asked, keeping in mind what Ducky had said

"Tired" Gibbs answered honestly, "Anxious, scared. How long are they keeping me here?"

"Between twenty-four and forty-eight hours" Tony replied

Gibbs closed his eyes, "Christ"

Kate studied Gibbs, "Do you want us to bring in Abby and McGee?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied quietly, "Don't think I'll be awake much longer"

Kate and Tony said their goodbyes and left the room for Abby and McGee. They waited outside the room until the two came back out, not too long after.

"He fell asleep" Abby told them

As they walked back out, leaving Ducky in the hospital, Tony faced Abby.

"He wants you to analyze the DNA" Tony told her

"Yeah, he mumbled something about that" Abby replied

"Any idea why?" McGee asked

"Rule number three, Probie, never assume, always double check" Tony replied

* * *

Tony went to the counter of the coffee shop and grinned at the barista.

"Hello, Agent DiNozzo" the coffee lady said as she saw him, "Long time, no see"

"Hey, Amanda. Yeah, we've been busy" Tony replied

Amanda put on a sad face, "Too busy to see me?" she asked, "So, about what we talked about last time you were here…"

Kate elbowed Tony in the stomach. Tony grimaced, "Ah, we're kinda in a hurry"

"Ok" Amanda said cheerfully, making the coffees without having to take the order

Kate gave Tony a glare that Gibbs would have been proud of, "We need to talk later, Tony"

Tony opened his mouth to defend himself but was interrupted by Amanda.

"Do you still like it hot and sweet?" Amanda asked

Kate stalked out of the shop before Tony had a chance to reply. After a few minutes, Tony walked out carrying four cups of coffee, frowning when he didn't see Kate. Tony swore and got into the car, looking on the sidewalks as he drove. Eventually he saw Kate storming done the footpath. Pulling into the curb, he wound down the passenger window and called out. When she didn't stop, Tony stopped the car and cut the engine, getting out.

"Kate" he called, chasing up to her, "Kate, wait a sec"

Kate stopped but didn't turn around.

"Kate, that wasn't what it looked like" Tony told her,

Kate turned around angrily, "So, tell me what was _really_ going on, Tony. You two weren't _really_ flirting? You're just _friends_? You expect me to believe that? Tell me, Tony; what was the topic you two talked about last time you were here?"

"Look, Kate, this was before us. Before I started seeing you" Tony told her

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Kate asked

"It was a mistake, Kate. What do you care anyway? This was well before we started going out together." Tony replied, getting irritated, "Look, Kate, you know how I feel about you…"

"Do I?" Kate interrupted, "Because it seems, every time I turn around, you're flirting with some tall blonde thing, or any other female who crosses our path. And then you have the nerve to tell me it's to 'keep up appearances'. And to buy coffees at the place where your ex-girlfriend makes coffees…"

"I didn't know she worked here. And she was never my girlfriend" Tony retorted

"How could you not know where she works? And what do you mean she was never your girlfriend? What, it was a one-night-stand? Or she just didn't get the privilege of being _your girlfriend_? So, what does that make me?" Kate shouted at him

"We were drunk, Kate, and yeah, it was a 'one-night-stand'. We were at some party. I got drunk because I was all hung up over the one woman I couldn't have," Tony explained with a pointed look at her, "And one thing led to another. It shouldn't have happened, but it did"

"So you slept with someone because you couldn't have the one you wanted? That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever heard, Tony" Kate told him

"Hey, I didn't say I was proud of it…" Tony said

"Good to hear" Kate said sarcastically

Tony rubbed at his eyes, "Look, could we just get in the car and talk about this later?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at him, "This doesn't mean I'm forgiving you. I'm still very pissed off with you"

"Good to hear" Tony said seriously

They walked back to the car in silence. Tony opened Kate's door for her, slamming it once she was in.

"Take the door off the hinges, why don't you?" Kate said as Tony sat in the driver's seat

Tony looked at Kate as he slammed his own door, "Yeah, I just might"

* * *

That's it for chapter 20!...Hope it was okay! Please review! 


	21. Chapter 21

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews! I'm glad you like it

Also a humangous thankyou to Kate for all her help and great work!

* * *

Abby slurped her caf-Pow! Her cheeks hollowing as she tried to get the last of it.

"Abs, would you quit it?" McGee asked, typing furiously at the computer

"I could've sworn there was more in here" Abby commented, frowning at McGee, "Did you drink my caf-Pow?"

"Yes, you told me I could" McGee replied

Abby sat back on her chair, "Oh, ok"

"Damn" McGee said quietly

"What?" Abby asked, looking closely at the monitor

"I died. The aliens killed me" McGee replied

"Timothy" Abby said, putting her hands on his shoulders, "You need a life"

"I like my life as it is, thank you very much" McGee replied

Abby sat back on her chair, "Stop playing games, McGee. You're making the tests go slower"

"They run on two different systems, Abby. The game has as much effect on making the tests go slower as Gibbs shouting at it" McGee replied

"Hey, Abs, whatcha got for us?" Tony asked as he walked into the lab

Tony stopped moving, looking around the lab curiously, "Abs, what happened to the music?" he asked as he noticed soft classical music playing

"It suited my mood more" Abby told him

"Didn't know you had classical music, Abby" Kate said as she walked in

"I don't, it's Ducky's." Abby replied

"That figures" Tony commented

Abby smiled, "The tests aren't done yet, shouldn't be too much longer, I put in an urgent request."

"Does that make it go quicker?" Kate asked

"Sometimes" Abby said

Tony walked into the room further and distributed the coffees and the caf-Pow!.

"I love you, Tony" Abby said as she gratefully took the caf-Pow!

"Ah, Tony, you must've ordered too many coffees" McGee told him

Tony looked at the tray and agreed, "She didn't take my order, so she must've assumed it was for everybody"

"I'll take Gibbs'" McGee said, taking the extra cup off the tray as the computer began beeping

"Ah hah, we have results" Abby said as she swung her chair back to the computer. She briefly read the screen and turned back to everybody with a wide grin, "The hand wasn't Jake's"

"How do you know?" Kate asked

"I ran the search" Abby replied, slurping her caf-Pow!

"No, I mean, what were you comparing the blood to?" Kate rephrased

"Jake's blood. When he was four or five, he scraped his knee whilst he was here, so we ran his blood through the system" Abby replied

"Jake's been here?" Tony asked

"Yeah. He used to come here all the time. Gibbs brought him into work with him almost everyday until about the time Jake started school" Abby explained, "He would have continued to bring him, but we had a really nasty case and Gibbs got scared and all protective towards Jake. And to top it off, the director thought that Jake might start interfering with his work. Gibbs almost quit. He occasionally still sneaks Jake in here now, in fact, you've probably seen him"

"Really?" Kate asked, skeptically

"Yeah. Sometimes his babysitter can't work or something, so Gibbs brings him here. He used to go into the day care centre, but now he's too old for it. So, if we don't have anything revolting lying around, he visits me or Ducky." Abby replied

"I think I can say with utmost confidence, I've never seen him" McGee told her

"Yeah, well he hangs out in the office when you guys come through. Usually because he has homework, so he finds a quiet place" Abby replied

Tony frowned, "Gibbs said he hardly ever spends time with him"

Abby scoffed, "He would. Gibbs is a great dad; he spends as much time as he can with Jake, sometimes more. Ever wonder where he goes for no apparent reason? I mean, the man doesn't drink _that_ much coffee. Sometimes Gibbs just feels that he hasn't done a good enough job, but he certainly gets points for trying"

* * *

Gibbs opened his eyes and tried to focus through his blurred vision. Putting his head back on the pillow, he blinked a few times. The clean smell of the room he was in told him he was in hospital. After his vision cleared, he looked around the room and tried to remember how he'd ended up in here. Then, it all came back with a rush.

"Jake!" he shouted, sitting upright in the bed as he remembered the 'gift' his father had sent him.

Looking around the room quickly, assessing it for danger, he sat on the side of the bed, trying to ignore the frantic beeping from one of the machines. Pulling out the IV from his arm, he blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay that threatened to fall. He pulled the rest of the wires off of his chest and looked around for his clothes. He heard footsteps approaching the room and tried to locate a good hiding spot. Taking a deep breath, he pushed up from the bed and hid behind the door.

"Mr. Gibbs," a nurse said as she entered the room, she frowned, looking around the room, "Oh dear" she said to herself

Gibbs inched back into the corner as she turned towards the wall. Silently swearing as she looked behind the door.

"Ah, there you are" the nurse said to him, smiling

Gibbs gave her a small smile, then wiped the expression off his face, "I need to find my son, he's in danger"

The nurse's smile vanished, "Yes, I was told about your son's condition. But you've just had a heart attack…"

"I'm aware of what happened," Gibbs snapped, "Where are my clothes?"

"Near the nurse's station. Mr. Gibbs, you need to go back to bed, you need to allow your body time to heal" the nurse told him

"I'm fine" Gibbs told her, "Can you get my clothes?"

"You won't be needing them until you've been discharged" the nurse told him, "The doctors probably won't discharge you for a few days yet"

"Well, I'm not waiting for the doctors" Gibbs replied

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gibbs, but if you don't get back to bed, I'm going to have to use force…" the nurse said

Gibbs briefly closed his eyes, "Ok"

The nurse smiled as Gibbs got out of the corner, "Good"

He slowly made his way to the bed and laid down, watching the nurse as she began hooking him up to the monitors again. Once she was done, the nurse made a few notes on her clipboard before giving him another smile, "You're doing really well. Your condition has improved a lot since you were admitted"

"Yeah" Gibbs murmured, looking out the window.

He heard the nurse do a few other things before walking out of the room. A few minutes passed before Gibbs looked back at the door, listening intently for any signs that she might be coming back. When he decided it was safe, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and unhooked himself from the equipment once again. Edging towards the door, he looked down the corridor and noted how far away the nurses' station was. He silently swore as he realised it was too far away. Biting the inside of his lip, he noticed a door marked 'Supply Room. Staff Only'. Grinning, he scanned the corridor again before leaving his room.

* * *

That's it for chapter 21!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think 


	22. Chapter 22

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and support!

* * *

McGee walked into the bullpen and sat at his computer, "Mrs. Wills, Trent's mum, was arrested this morning. She's on her way here now"

Tony looked up with a frown, "Why was she arrested? I thought we were just looking for her"

"Abby got the DNA results back yesterday, I think – maybe the day before. Mrs. Wills killed her husband" McGee explained, "So, we put out a warrant for her arrest"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Why wasn't I informed?"

"You were" McGee replied, frowning, "But I don't think you were listening. We got the results shortly after Trent left"

"Right," Tony shook his head, "Okay, you can handle the interrogation, keep me informed"

"Where are you going?" Kate asked

"To check on Gibbs" Tony answered

Kate stood up, "I think I'll join you"

Tony shook his head solemnly, "No, I think it would be better if you stayed here, stand in on the interrogation. Write up your report, I'll sign off on it when I get back," Tony stood up and grabbed his gear. He turned and looked at Kate and McGee, focusing on Kate to get his point across, "I'll see you both in the morning"

Tony felt Kate's eyes on him as he left the bullpen and waited in front of the elevator. He sighed and tried to pin-point when their relationship had started to turn sour. He guessed it had been on a down-hill slope since they'd become involved, from the moment they lost each other in their eyes… No, he couldn't think of that right now, he needed to pull himself together if he was going to survive this. Straightening his posture, he walked into the elevator and waited for the doors to shut. Just as the doors were closing, somebody – Kate - walkedthrough and into the elevator. Tony sighed and rubbed his face as the doors closed once again. Shortly after they started moving, Kate reached across and hit the emergency switch.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" she snapped at him

"What the hell is wrong with me? With me!" Tony asked, raising his eyebrows, "What the hell is wrong with you! I'm not the one who got all pissy because I accidentally bought coffee at the place my ex works at! Who thinks my excuse for getting pissed was pathetic!"

"That's because it is pathetic!" Kate shouted at him

"You can't tell me you never got drunk because you thought the woman you fell in love with didn't feel the same way. Makes you feel miserable, depressed, getting pissed makes you feel that little bit better." Tony said angrily

"Can't say I ever fallen in love with a woman" Kate said offhandedly

"Oh, grow up, Kate!" Tony snapped, pacing in the elevator

"So, am I yet another substitute for this woman you love but 'can't have'?" Kate asked, angrily

Tony frowned, "What? What do you mean?" he asked, pinching his nose, "Kate, the woman I fell in love with was… was you"

Kate's eyes softened, "Aw, Tony"

"Not so pathetic after all, hey?" Tony asked softly

Kate gave him a small smile, "Come 'ere"

Tony gave her a shy smile and came closer. When he was within reach, Kate pulled him closer to her and hugged him, "I'm sorry, honey,"

Tony hugged her closer and closed his eyes, glad that they had made up, he hated when they fought and he hated it more if it still wasn't resolved by the following day. He sighed, "I am too"

Pulling his head away from Kate's, Tony looked into her eyes, "I love you"

Kate smiled, "I love you too, Tony"

Smiling, Tony lightly kissed Kate's lips. However, the kiss quickly turned into a passionate one as Tony backed Kate against the wall and licked his tongue over her lips, seeking entrance. Kate moaned as she opened her mouth for Tony. After a few breathless minutes, they both broke apart, gasping for air.

Tony smiled, "We can't do this here"

"No" Kate agreed, "So, we still on for tonight?"

"Yeah. Don't wait around for me though. I might be a while. I'll call if anything changes" Tony answered

"Okay" Kate said, leaning forward to kiss him again

Tony grinned, deepening the kiss once more. He sighed, resting his head on her forehead when they broke apart. Kate closed her eyes and wished they were back at either of their apartments, in their own space.

Kate pulled back and quickly slapped Tony over the back of his head,"Get back to work, Tony. And if you do anything that stupid again..."

Tony grinned and mock-saluted, "I won't, ma'am"

Kate smiled again and hit the emergency switch again, bringing it back to life.

* * *

Ducky walked through the ward back to Gibbs' room; he'd briefly gone home to check on mother and to change. As he approached, he knew something was wrong, he couldn't hear any arguing or shouting coming from the room. Frowning, he glanced in and his suspicions were confirmed, Gibbs was not in the bed. He sighed and walked to the nurse's station, he found the nurse who was looking after Gibbs and asked, "Do you know where Jethro has been taken?"

The nurse frowned, "He should be in his room"

"Well, he's not" Ducky responded, "I should advise you to call security"

"He was in there not long ago" the nurse insisted, walking back to the room to see for herself

"Then he shouldn't have gone far" Ducky replied

Ten minutes later, security arrived at the nurse's station, briefly speaking to the nurse before talking with Ducky.

"You're Doctor Mallard?" one of the men asked

"Please, call me Ducky" Ducky replied

The man raised his eyebrow and smirked, "Ok, _Ducky_, we have men searching the perimeter of the building. If he should pass an exit, we'll know about it"

"And if he already has left the building?" Ducky asked

The man shrugged, "There's not a lot we can do. We can inform the local police if need be. We brought him up on the cameras; he changed into a pair of surgical scrubs before leaving. I have some men tracking his path now to see if he's still in the building"

Ducky sighed, "I see. Okay, it seems that's all we can do for now"

* * *

Gibbs leant against the side of the building, closing his eyes as he tried to collect his breath. He didn't think he'd find it this hard to just walk; it seemed his heart attack had taken more of a toll on his body than he'd thought. Looking around the street, he tried to think of where he was going. He had no idea where he would find his son, he just knew that he should be looking, but with no idea where the last known location was, it was going to make things difficult.

He knew the only way he could do this was if he had all the information that the feds had. He remembered Kate and Tony telling Ducky of the tape his father had sent to Abby, and knew that he had to hear that tape. Sighing, he pushed off the wall and hailed the first taxi that drove past.

* * *

That's it for chapter 22!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think! 


	23. Chapter 23

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for the reviews! I really aprreciate them

Also a big thankyou to Kate for her inspiration and fantastic help!

This chapter is a bit short, but hopefully the next one should make up for it

* * *

Kate watched McGee give Mrs. Wills her article 31 rights as he cuffed her and handed her off to the waiting guards. Kate sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. Walking out of the observation room, she headed towards the lab, wanting to be in Abby's company for a while. The elevator dinged and she walked into the lab, smiling at the too loud music that blasted from the speakers.

Abby looked up from her monitor and smiled, "Kate. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

Kate smiled, "Nothing, just wanted some time away. What are you doing?"

"Trying to beat McGee's score in this game. He had a winning streak a while ago and managed to get the top score" Abby whined

"I'm sure you can beat him. You had the top score for how long?" Kate asked

"Two years" came the answer from the door to the lab

Kate and Abby turned around and saw Gibbs leaning against the door frame. There was a sheet of perspiration covering his pale face and he looked tired.

"Boss-man, what are you doing here? I thought you were in hospital" Abby asked

"I was," Gibbs replied, moving into the room, "And now I'm not"

"They didn't discharge you?" Kate asked, disbelievingly

"Nope, I discharged myself" Gibbs replied, "Abs, you got a tape from my father a few days ago, I wanna listen to it"

"Gibbs, you really shouldn't…" Kate started, but was interrupted by Gibbs

"Well, I want to," Gibbs responded

The ringing of Kate's phone stopped further arguing. Kate answered as Gibbs walked to stand behind Abby, squinting at her computer screen, "Can you pull it up?" he asked

They heard Kate in the background, "No, he's here"

Abby smiled, "Guess they're talking about you"

"Yeah" Gibbs agreed

Abby punched a few keys, "You really don't have to listen to this Gibbs, it's just…"

"Abby, I know what he is capable of and I know I need to hear what he said" Gibbs interrupted her protests

Abby sighed before reluctantly turning back to her computer and getting off her stool, "Well at least sit down before you have another heart attack,"

Abby helped Gibbs sit down, and continued to punch the keys.

Kate ended the phone call and turned to Gibbs, "That was Tony, he just got to the hospital and realised you weren't there. He and Ducky are on their way back here now"

Gibbs nodded, "I suppose they don't want you to let me out of your sight?"

"Something like that" Kate replied

"Okay, here" Abby said, pulling up a file

"Abs, do you mind if I listen to this alone?" Gibbs asked

Kate and Abby shared a look before reluctantly agreeing.

"Press this for play, and this for stop" Abby instructed, "If you want us, we're just outside"

Gibbs nodded andwatched them leave the room.

* * *

Tony and Ducky filed out of the elevator and met Kate and Abby waiting outside the lab.

"He's still inside?" Ducky asked

Abby nodded, "He's still listening to the tape"

Tony frowned, "The one his father sent you?"

"Yeah" Kate answered, "He asked to listen to it alone"

"I see" Ducky replied, walking through the doors

As Ducky approached the younger man, he could see the tear stains on his cheeks. He heard the tape stop and saw Gibbs punch play, restarting the tape again.

"Jethro?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder

"I can't…it's not…" he took a breath, "It's not helping, I can't find the clues, I don't know…"

He sighed and rubbed Gibbs' back, "Abby?" he called as he saw the trio enter the lab

"Ducky" Abby responded

"Can you shut this thing off?" Ducky asked

"No," Gibbs protested, "No, leave it on…I need to find…find the clues…need to know where…"

Ducky watched Abby and nodded at her to continue. Abby turned off the tape, apologizing to Gibbs.

"Anthony, would you mind taking Jethro home? I have some work to catch up on" Ducky asked, although it was more of a statement

"Sure thing, Ducky" Tony replied as Ducky helped Gibbs off the stool

"I can walk!" Gibbs growled

"We don't doubt that, Jethro" Ducky said softly, watching as Tony and Gibbs left the lab

"He's going to be okay, isn't he Ducky?" Abby asked

"That depends on how and if we find Jake" Ducky replied

"Well, the chances of him being alive now are like…" Kate couldn't finish her thought

"Are about zero" Abby finished

* * *

That's it for chapter 23!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think! Hopefully it shouldn't be long tillI update again, I have an idea up my sleeve... 


	24. Chapter 24

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews!

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her inspiration and great work!

Another short chapter...

* * *

Gibbs sat back on his couch and sipped at his coffee, closing his eyes. He sat in silence for a few minutes before he heard Tony come into the lounge room and sit in the armchair.

"So, what do ya want for dinner? Italian? Chinese? Macca's?" Tony asked

Gibbs shook his head without opening his eyes, willing the other man to leave him in his sorrow and mourning. He knew the chances of Jake still being alive were not in his favor.

"Well, you've gotta eat something. Coffee does not count" Tony said, pronouncing every word precisely to get the point across

"I'll make sure to write that down later" Gibbs mumbled

Tony frowned, "Okay, so, pizza?" he waited several minutes but received no reply, "Okay, pizza it is"

Gibbs took a sip of his coffee, "Ever wonder what the point is?"

"Of what?" Tony asked

"Everything" Gibbs answered

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, getting concerned

"People just, they are born, live for a while, then they die. And in the end what have they achieved?" Gibbs explained, "What is the point? We're here for such a short time, and…"

"Gibbs," Tony said, his concern showing in his tone, "Don't do anything stupid, anything you'll regret. There is still hope"

Gibbs opened his eyes, "Yeah. I'm not suicidal, Tony. I just," he sighed, "I don't know…don't really know where I'm going with this"

"Ah hah," Tony answered skeptically

Gibbs sighed deeply, "Sorry, I'm just a bit…I want Jake back"

Tony gave him a small smile, "Don't apologize, Gibbs, never apologize"

Gibbs briefly returned the smile, "Yeah, ok"

Tony ordered the pizza and wondered around the house, doing small jobs until the delivery man arrived. He set the pizza box and garlic roll on the table in the lounge room whilst he prepared drinks for himself and Gibbs. Putting Gibbs' coffee in-front of him, he gently shook the ex-marine awake and gave him a plate.

Gibbs blinked a few times to clear the sleep and started eating despite not feeling hungry. After they'd eaten, Tony lay back in the armchair and studied Gibbs for a while.

"What do ya want Tony?" Gibbs asked

Tony sighed, frowning, "Um," he thought for a second, then shook his head with a smile, "No, now's not the right time"

Gibbs frowned, finishing the rest of his coffee, "Tony, spit it out"

"It can wait" Tony insisted

"No, it's not. Tell me what's on your mind" Gibbs said, vaguely wondering why he was pushing Tony to tell him

Tony sighed, "What do you think about Kate?"

Gibbs' frown deepened, "She's a great woman, fantastic agent. Where are you going with this?"

Tony gave a small smile, "I know this is gonna sound strange, but…" he closed his eyes and sighed, "Her father died a few years ago…"

"I know that Tony, it's in her records" Gibbs interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Tony

"Yeah, I figured that. Um, you're the closest thing she has to a father…" Tony waited but Gibbs didn't say anything, "I guess what I'm trying to say, no, ask…I guess I'm asking you for permission to marry Kate"

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, surprised, "Your right, that does kinda sound strange"

"Yeah, well," Tony said, "I want her to be happy, and if you're happy with it as well…"

Gibbs cocked his head to the side, a hint of his smirk at the corners of his mouth. He frowned at the young man on the armchair, "She'll want you to change. Not a lot, and she'll never tell you, but she won't want you to chase skirts anymore"

"She doesn't want me doing that now" Tony responded

"Yeah, well, that's to be expected, she doesn't want to share you" Gibbs explained

"And I don't want to share her" Tony replied

Gibbs smirked, "It's called being exclusive…"

"I know, that's nothing new, Gibbs" Tony interrupted

"Right. You don't ever want to forget your anniversary, make sure you write it in your PDQ or whatever" Gibbs told him

"PDA, boss" Tony corrected

"Whatever, just don't forget it. Can you cook?" Gibbs asked

"No" Tony shook his head

"Well, DiNozzo, that is something you need to know how to do. You can't expect Kate to do all the cooking" Gibbs told him

Tony nodded expectantly, "Ok"

"I'll teach you, if you want" Gibbs offered

"You'd do that boss?" Tony asked

"Yeah," Gibbs replied, "Can you dance?"

"I don't suppose the chicken dance counts?" Tony asked

Gibbs cocked his head to the side, "You are not doing the chicken dance on your wedding night"

Tony smiled, "It could be fun. Even the kids could join in"

Gibbs looked down and getting up, he walked away.

"Gibbs," Tony called, "Sorry, I didn't mean, I didn't think…"

"Well maybe next time you will, DiNozzo" Gibbs responded

Tony looked into Gibbs' eyes and saw the strain of the last week, "Gibbs, I'm sorry. I just…got carried away"

"I can see that, DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled at him, running a hand through his hair, "I need coffee"

Tony watched Gibbs go into the kitchen. He mentally slapped himself, putting his head in his hands. When he looked back up, Gibbs was staring into space in the kitchen.

"Gibbs, you okay?" Tony asked, afraid that his comment had made Gibbs go into shock or something

Gibbs dropped the coffee pot and stared at Tony, "I …I think I know where they are"

* * *

That's it for chapter 24!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think... 


	25. Chapter 25

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews! I really appreciate it!

Also a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and inspiration!

* * *

Abby scooted from one side of her lab to the other, pressing buttons on some of the machines before scooting back to the other side.

"…and it will match two pixels and decode the area in between and…" Abby explained, clapping her hands, "we have ourselves a picture, or at least one we can zoom in on…."

Kate rubbed her temples, trying to cut out the techno-babble the Abby had been blabbering about since Ducky left. She looked at her watch and sighed, "Abby, have you had dinner yet?"

"It's dinner already? We just had lunch" Abby asked, looking slightly confused

"Yeah, in fact, why are you still working? We don't have an active case and work hours have finished" Kate asked

"Agent Bolboa's team have an active case, so they adopted me. They're bribing me with caf-Pow!" Abby announced, slightly jittery

Kate rolled her eyes, "You know that much caffeine isn't good for you, you drink too many of those caf-Pow!s"

Abby gave her a mock glare, "There is no such thing as too many of them" she said as her phone rang

Abby pushed the speaker, "Yo,"

"Abs, it's Tony" Tony said on the other end, "Gibbs knows where he son is, we're heading to the location now"

"You're gonna need back-up" Abby told him as she moved in-front of one of her monitors

"That's why we called you, honey" Tony replied, then screeched, "Ow! Boss!"

"Tony?" Abby called

Kate and Abby exchanged knowing glances when they heard Gibbs and Tony arguing

"Dammit, DiNozzo! Drive faster! Here, move!" Gibbs instructed

"No, Gibbs! You're not drivi…" Tony protested

"No, you don't want to do that Gibbs" Abby called

They heard grumbling and Tony yelp again, "Then give me the damn phone!" Gibbs growled

"Gibbs?" Abby asked after a moment

"Abs, we need back-up at this address…" Gibbs told her, reciting a place he used to be very familiar with

* * *

Gibbs glared out the window, occasionally grunting directions when they were near an exit they had to turn down. Tony turned on the radio and flicked through the channels, stopping only when Gibbs slapped the upside of his head and turned the radio off again.

"Can't you drive any faster, DiNozzo?" Gibbs growled

"Boss, I don't want …" Tony started

"Tony, I'm not an invalid," Gibbs interrupted, "Pull over and let me drive"

"I think that's a really bad idea, boss" Tony protested

"Yeah, well I'm not asking you for your opinion!" Gibbs snapped, "When I do, I'll ask for it! Now pull over!"

"No" Tony replied, ducking his head

"Tony, I suggest that if you want to live to see the rest of the day, do as I say" Gibbs said, his voice going dangerously quiet

Tony gulped, "I thought it was only Abby who knew how to kill somebody and leave no forensic evidence"

"Yeah, and no one would find the body" Gibbs finished, "Who do you think taught her?"

Tony groaned and pulled over, knowing he'd regret it later

"Thatta boy, DiNozzo" Gibbs said, getting out of the car and walking around it

Tony shifted over to the passenger seat, putting on his seat belt securely and put his hands together saying a quick prayer. Gibbs smirked when he saw Tony. After adjusting the seat, he put the pedal to the metal, kicking out dust in their wake.

Tony closed his eyes as he saw the trees shooting by at a very unnatural speed. Clearing his throat, he turned to Gibbs, deciding not to ask if they could slow down, upon seeing the determined look on the other man's face.

"Oh, god, I'm gonna die" Tony said to nobody in particular, "Well, at least Kate knows I wanna be cremated"

Gibbs quirked his eyebrow at Tony.

"Gibbs, please keep your eyes on the road," Tony protested, then explained, "Thought you were gonna kill me and Kate when we came to your house. Cremation, no bugs…"

* * *

"Abs, how long?" Gibbs asked for the thirtieth time in as many minutes. Tony had managed to get Gibbs to wait for their back-up instead of going in alone.

"_Gibbs, it's exactly what he wants you to do" Tony protested_

"_You telling me what to do, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked warningly_

_Tony sighed, "If you go in there and get killed, which is highly likely, going in there alone like some damn cowboy, who's gonna look after Jake?"_

_Gibbs growled and slammed on the brakes, leaving a trial of dust behind them. He turned to the younger agent, "What now?"_

"Gibbs, be patient" Abby told him again, frustrated

Gibbs hung up and looked into the surrounding trees; it was like a mini forest. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Hell, I don't even know if the shack is still there"

Tony cast his eyes over at Gibbs, "How long ago were you here last?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Not long enough. I hated it out here, hated coming out here, it always meant…dunno, I hated this place"

Tony frowned, then smiled when he saw another dust trail appearing in the distance behind them, "We have company, boss"

Gibbs turned on the engine, "Let's roll"

"Gibbs, they're still at least ten minutes away" Tony groaned as the car sped off down the long, narrow drive-way

The drive-way abruptly opened out, revealing a small old shack, a shed, a garage and another shed. Gibbs drove it up to the front of the house and pulled on the hand-brake. Both agents were out of the car as fast as it came to a stop. They ran up the step and halted at either end of the door with their guns drawn. Gibbs nodded and Tony kicked in the door, following Gibbs into the shack. They began a thorough search of the house, calling clear when they'd finished a room. Eventually they met at the back of the house.

"Cellar" Gibbs said, leading the way to the side of the house. He threw open two doors leading to the underside of the shack. As they entered, Gibbs pulled a switch, bathing the room in light.

* * *

That's it for chapter 25!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think 


	26. Chapter 26

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for your reviews! I really appreciate them!

Also a big thankyou to Kate for her inspiration and fantastic work!

* * *

"Well, so nice of you to drop by. To what do I owe this visit?" an old man at the far end of the cellar addressed them.

Tony took in his appearance, seeing that the man looked fit for his age. He looked like a much older version of Gibbs. Tony squinted, keeping his gun trained on the man.

"What? No hug for the father you haven't seen in…how long has it been, _LJ_?" the older man hissed

Gibbs cocked his weapon and continued moving forward, "Where is he?"

"Jake? Oh, he's safe. Don't worry about him" Gibbs' dad responded

"Safe like I was?" Gibbs asked, his voice wavering slightly

The man smiled, "You know me better than that, LJ" he turned his attention to Tony, "Ah, we haven't been introduced, I'm Leroy"

"I know" Tony replied

"Ooh, cocky, aren't we?" Leroy sneered; he turned to Gibbs and smiled again, "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you"

"Where's Jake?" Tony asked, taking another step closer

"Oh, you know, around" the man smiled, then drew his gun as the agents came too close for comfort, "Ok, now you start backing up" he said, waving the gun around

"Like hell," Gibbs muttered, stepping closer, "Put your hands in the air and give yourself up, you're surrounded"

"No, I'm not, you have no back-up, I saw you arrive" Leroy sneered at them

"They're on the way, should be here any minute" Tony told him

"Give yourself up, Leroy" Gibbs said, stepping closer again

Leroy looked in Gibbs' eyes and pointed his gun at Tony, "Come any closer and I'll put a bullet…"

The older man didn't finish his sentence as Gibbs shot him twice in the shoulder of his gun-arm, making him drop the weapon. Leroy clutched his shoulder and made to pick up his gun

"Do that and I'll aim to kill" Gibbs told him, his gaze one of steel, daring him to reach for the weapon

Leroy grinned, continuing to lean forward. Another two blasts rang through the air, and Leroy tumbled to the ground, groaning in pain. Tony strode forward and kicked the gun away, proceeding to cuff the man. Gibbs frowned before realizing Tony had taken the shot to the man's knee.

Suddenly there was a hustle at the door and shouts could be made out as their back-up arrived. Tony and Gibbs identified themselves and watched as Leroy was escorted out of the cellar, one of the officers reading his article 31 rights.

"Gibbs, lets get out of here" Tony said

Gibbs gave him a blank stare before slowly walking to the exit, he was numb, he wasn't sure if he was happy or pissed off that his father would rot in a prison for the rest of his life. As he left the cellar he heard familiar voices, in the form of Kate, McGee, and of course Abby and Ducky. Somebody approached him and asked if he'd found Jake, but Gibbs ignored them and walked away from the bunch.

"Jethro," Ducky called. Sighing when his friend didn't respond.

"Did they find Jake?" McGee asked again

Ducky shook his head, "One of the young officers said they checked all the buildings but found nothing"

Gibbs wondered around the property, remembering the times he'd spent here. He walked down a long over-grown path, looking for signs that it had recently been trodden on. His eyes lit up when he saw the broken and bent grass slades.

"Tony! Kate!" he yelled before running down the path to the shed he knew was at the end of it. He briefly looked over his shoulder to see a few figures following him. Looking forwards again, he redoubled his efforts, slipping on a patch of mud. Regaining his balance, he ran through a set of trees that hid the shed from view.

"Jake!" he yelled as tried to open the door, "Jake!"

He cursed when he saw it was locked and began pounding on the shed, "Jake! Can you hear me!"

"Dad?" he heard a small voice ask from inside

Gibbs almost cried with relief, "Jake, honey, its dad. We're gonna get you outta here, you hear me?"

"Dad," he heard his son choke back tears, "I knew you'd come for me. I told the bad guy that you'd kick his ass"

Gibbs gave a small laugh, tears rolling down his face, "Yeah, and I did. He's going away for a long time"

"Boss, what's going on?" Tony asked as he walked through the trees, he turned to Kate, "Get some bolt-cutters"

Kate scattered off as Tony approached the shed, "Is he alive?"

"I'm not a quitter" Jake replied, starting to cough

Gibbs frowned, concern evident on his face, "Are you okay in there, buddy?"

The coughing got worse and they barely heard his response, "Yep, I'm fine"

"Don't lie to me, Jake" Gibbs said, keeping his voice level

The coughing stopped, "My stomach hurts"

"Your stomach?" Gibbs asked, more than a little concerned

"You know that whole chest, stomach area" Jake explained, "Torso, I think. And my head"

Gibbs closed his eyes and held his breath, he whispered to Tony, "Where the hell are those bolt-cutters?"

Tony shrugged, "Does it hurt when you breathe?"

"Yeah," Jake answered, followed by coughing and wheezing, "Never had a cold or flu ever, but I get this"

Gibbs smirked at the expression Tony gave him, "Ever had allergies?"

Jake laughed and coughed harder, "No"

"Jake" Gibbs warned

"Ok, yeah, but that didn't count," Jake replied

Kate arrived, heading straight to the door with the bolt-cutters. Gibbs and Tony moved aside as she snipped the chain and padlock surrounding the lock. Tony moved the sliding door away from them as Gibbs entered and looked around. He saw Jake lying not far from the door in the foetal position.

"Jake" he asked as he approached

Jake unfurled himself and smiled, "Dad"

Gibbs knelt next to him and embraced him in a big hug that Jake returned. They pulled out of the hug and Gibbs looked at his son, noting the black-eye and the way his hair stick to one spot of his head.

"God," Gibbs breathed, stroking the back of his fingers down Jake's cheek

Gibbs swept his son up, carrying him back to the drive-way and awaiting EMTs. He placed Jake on the gurney and stepped back, but Jake grabbed hold of him, whispering, "Don't go,"

Gibbs grasped the small hand and kissed it, tears starting to pool in his eyes again, "I'll be right here; the paramedics need to check you over"

"I'm fine, I just want to go home" Jake protested

"Only once they say its ok" Gibbs told him, stepping back again but keeping eye-contact as the EMTs worked

"We need to take him to hospital," one of the EMTs said to Gibbs, "You can ride in the back,"

"Wouldn't have had it any other way," Gibbs said as he climbed in the back with the gurney

* * *

That's it for chapter 26!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! tell me what you think! 


	27. Chapter 27

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Sorry about the delay, I was busy with exams and such. And now I'm back, and better than ever - or at least I hope so... anyway, on with the story

Thankyou for all the reviews, I really appreciate them

Also, a huge thankyou to Kate for her fantastic work and inspiration!

* * *

Ducky led the rest of the team through the ER, eventually finding Gibbs pacing in a waiting room just outside surgery. Kate and Tony sat on the waiting chairs, cuddling each other, Abby and McGee mirroring their position a few seats apart from them. 

"Jethro," Ducky said, approaching the younger man

Gibbs turned around and watched Ducky approach, "He's in surgery. Ducky, they wouldn't let me in there, I don't know what's going on, they just…When we got here they rushed him through here, shoved me outta the way and told me to wait. I told him I wouldn't leave him…"

"Jethro, calm down," Ducky said, putting his hand on Gibbs' shoulder

"Is he gonna be okay, Ducky?" Gibbs asked, looking anxiously into Ducky's eyes

Ducky sighed, "I'll go check on his condition for you,"

Gibbs watched Ducky go through the double doors, wishing he could go with him.

"Gibbs, come sit down," Kate told him, patting the seat next to her

Gibbs studied Kate for a while, before walking over to the window without saying anything.

* * *

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, but was probably only around half an hour. Gibbs alternated between looking out the window, pacing, and sitting down staring at the double doors. Eventually Ducky strode through the doors with a doctor in tow. Gibbs stood up, clearing his face of any expression as he prepared himself for the worst.

"Mr. Gibbs?" the doctor asked him. Gibbs nodded at him to continue. The doctor cleared his throat, "Your son's injuries are bad. Thankfully not as bad as we feared. We rushed him in here fearing the worst; his head injury was a major concern as was his broken ribs."

Gibbs closed his eyes and swallowed around the lump in his throat, nodding at the doctor to continue when he opened his eyes.

The doctor sighed, "Your son has a mild concussion, a broken arm, his leg was fractured in two places and a few broken ribs. We were concerned that his broken ribs may have pierced his lungs, but thankfully that was not the case. He has minor cuts and abrasions over his arms and legs, but nothing that's too serious or won't repair itself with time."

"His eye?" Gibbs asked quietly, remembering the big black bruise covering Jake's eye.

"Just a bruise. We checked it out, his eye is still intact, and there doesn't appear to be any scratches or any other damage" the doctor replied

"Can we see him?" Tony asked, beating Gibbs to it by half a milli-second

"Of course. Follow me" the doctor replied, walking off down another corridor

The doctor eventually stopped outside a room, before bidding them farewell, telling them he'd be by later to check on the young boy. The team stood back, allowing Gibbs to enter the room. Gibbs walked in and frowned at the equipment surrounding the figure on the bed. There were tubes and wires everywhere, thankfully not as many as he'd predicted, sometimes, he mussed, he liked it when he was wrong.

"Dad," a small voice croaked from the bed

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and went to the side of the bed, picking up Jake's hand and smiling at him, "I thought you were asleep,"

"I was," Jake croaked, "I heard you come in"

"I woke you?" Gibbs asked

Jake coughed and nodded, "I was dreaming about you and the boat"

Gibbs raised his eyebrows, "You were, were you?"

Jake nodded again and began blinking to stop the impending tears, "I thought I'd never see you again"

Gibbs leant over and hugged him tightly, whispering soothing words, both for Jake's benefit as much as for his own. Eventually Gibbs pulled back and watched his son for a while, "Do you mind if the rest of the team comes in? They really want to see how you're doing"

Jake nodded with a small smile as Gibbs went to the doorway and told them all to come in. Gibbs walked back to the bedside, holding Jake's hand as he sat down.

Abby came in first, giving Jake a big hug and kiss, telling him that she was going to implant a GPS chip under his skin so they always knew where he'd be. McGee walked in next and introduced himself to Jake.

"I know who you are," Jake told him, then pointed at Tony, "He calls you 'Probie'. You're Abby's computer geek"

"Geek?" McGee repeated

Jake smiled, "Yeah, you're good with computers, part of the reason dad hired you"

McGee frowned, stepping back so he stood next to Abby, "Ah hah"

"And you're DiNozzo" Jake said, looking at Tony as Kate walked in

Tony smiled, "Yeah, and you're Jake"

Jake quirked an eyebrow at him, "You're powers of observation amaze me, Tony"

"Hey, only I get to belittle him like that" Gibbs told him, giving his hand a squeeze

"I'm Kate" Kate introduced herself, "But I'm sure you already know that"

"Hubba hubba," Jake said quietly, "Yeah, I know you. You know, dad used to like you…"

"Jake," Gibbs growled

Kate laughed, "Is that right?"

"Yeah, but then he met somebody else, another redhead" Jake said, rolling his eyes, "He'll never learn"

Kate put her arm around Tony, "Well, that's ok, I have Tony"

Jake sat up, widening his eyes, "Really?" Kate nodded. Jake smiled, "Finally! We've only been waiting, like, forever" Kate's eyes widened in response.

"Good to see you again, son" Ducky said, stepping forward and hugging Jake

"Uncle Ducky," Jake said with a smile

"How are you?" Ducky asked

"Sore" Jake replied with a scowl, "And I want to get outta here"

"In time, my boy, in time" Ducky replied

"How long?" Jake asked

"That's up to the doctors" Ducky said

"Can't you just discharge me?" Jake asked hopefully

Ducky laughed and stepped back, "My specialty is with dead patients, Jake, not live ones"

"I know," Jake said, disappointedly as he started to cough again

The team stayed with him for a while, talking about small, unimportant and irrelevant things. Eventually they took their leave, leaving Gibbs alone with his son.

Jake yawned and squinted at Gibbs, "What's gonna happen to him now?"

"To Leroy?" Gibbs asked. Jake nodded. "He's going to be interrogated; we'll have to make statements. There will be a court case – hopefully you won't have to testify, they'll have enough evidence without that…"

"Will you have to testify?" Jake asked

Gibbs nodded, "Yes. He did some very bad things a long time ago, and he needs to be put away for that, for everything he's done,"

"What did he do?" Jake asked

Gibbs bit his lip and cleared his throat, "Bad things, he's a very bad man, Jake, what he did was… wrong," he leveled his eyes at his son, silently saying things he could never say in words

"Okay," Jake said, holding his arms out to hug Gibbs

Gibbs patted Jake's back, "You should go to sleep, get some rest,"

"Mmm, so should you," Jake replied with a yawn

Gibbs pulled out of the embrace with a grin, stroking Jake's hair, "Yeah, well, I'm older than you, I get to stay up later,"

Jake smiled, putting his head back against the pillow, "I love you, dad,"

"I love you too," Gibbs responded, leaning across to kiss the top of Jake's head

* * *

That's it for chapter 27!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think... 


	28. Chapter 28

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Thankyou all for yourreviews

also a huge thankyou to Kate for her help and support

* * *

The next morning saw Ducky arriving at the hospital early with a coffee for Gibbs and a bag with Jake's belongings. He hummed a tune to himself as he took the elevator to the third floor and headed for the room Jake had been transferred into. As he looked into the room, he smiled and briefly leant against the door as he watched Gibbs sleeping on the chair, still holding Jake's hand. Jake was also sleeping peacefully, his body sprawled across the bed. One of his arms under the pillow as the other, his injured arm, held tightly to Gibbs' hand. Ducky walked into the room and put the coffee on the bedside table

"Jethro," Ducky said softly, gently shaking Gibbs' shoulder

"Jake," Gibbs mumbled

Ducky smiled, "He's right here," he said, gesturing to the bed

Gibbs leant forward and kissed Jake's hand, sighing.

"I brought you some coffee and something to eat," Ducky responded, taking a small brown bag of food out of Jake's bag and giving it to Gibbs. Gibbs took the bag gratefully and started eating his burger, closing his eyes in contentment.

"How's our young man doing?" Ducky asked

"You're the doctor, Duck," Gibbs replied around his mouthful of food

"Indeed," Ducky agreed, walking to the end of the bed to read the chart. Ducky smiled back at Gibbs, "He's doing well,"

Gibbs finished the burger and scrunched up the bag, throwing it in the bin. He nodded, "When will he be able to come home?"

"Might be a few days yet. At the moment he just needs his rest…" Ducky replied

"And the drugs he's been given. What are the drugs he's on?" Gibbs interrupted

Ducky sighed, "A few strong ones. Jethro, he's going to be okay"

Gibbs gave a self-deprecating smile, "Suppose it could've been worse…a lot worse. And I could've prevented it"

"Jethro, you can't blame yourself for this" Ducky told him

"Yeah, well, I do" Gibbs responded

"We've been over this before…" Ducky insisted

"Dad, it's not your fault" Jake said softly from his bed

"Honey, you're awake," Gibbs said with a smile

"Ya think?" Jake said with a grin

Gibbs smiled and rubbed Jake's head, "Yeah,"

Jake's face turned serious, "Dad, you can't blame yourself for what he did. It's not your fault,"

Gibbs closed his eyes, "I could've stopped him though," he said when he opened his eyes

Jake grumbled, "He was a monster, there is nothing you could've done to stop him. Now, stop being a bastard, and forgive yourself,"

"Watch your language, Jake," Gibbs scolded

"Don't change the topic," Jake responded

Gibbs sighed and looked at Ducky, who shrugged, "He's right, Jethro"

"Yeah, dad, I'm right," Jake told him

Gibbs and Ducky turned to look at Jake, who stared back at them, "What? I am"

Gibbs sighed, "Fine,"

"Forgive yourself?" Jake asked

"Don't push it," Gibbs said, glaring at Jake, who grinned

At that moment, the doctor from the night before strode in, "Ah, Mr. Gibbs and Doctor Mallard," he greeted Ducky and Gibbs, "And of course, the young Mr. Gibbs." He said looking at Jake

Jake waved him off with a smirk, "Ah, call me Jake," he said, holding out his hand

The doctor chuckled and shook his hand, "I'm Doctor Daniels,"

"So, I'll call you Jack," Jake responded with a grin

The doctor laughed, "I wouldn't have thought you'd know about that at your age,"

"Dad drinks it," Jake replied, watching Gibbs frown at him

The doctor laughed again, "Well, you can call me 'Jack' if you want to, or 'Ben' as my first name is, whatever takes your fancy," Ben walked to the end of the bed and quickly read the chart, before putting it down again, "In any case, you seem to be improved quite rapidly, better than we expected,"

"I get that from my dad," Jake said, squeezing Gibbs' hand, "When can I get outta here?"

Ben smiled, "Well, if things continue as they're going, you can be discharged tomorrow,"

"Cool," Jake said eagerly, then narrowed his eyes at Ben, "So, Jack, are you open to bribes?"

"Matthew Jake," Gibbs said, glaring at him

Ben chuckled, "Unfortunately, your health comes first," he made a quick note on the chart, before putting his pen away. He looked at Gibbs and Ducky, "My shift finishes now, but I'll be back this afternoon to check on his progress,"

Ducky shook his hand, thanking him, Gibbs following suit. Ben smiled at Jake, "See ya later, squirt,"

"See ya, kiddo," Jake responded

Ben chuckled as he walked out. Gibbs and Ducky looked back at Jake, then exchanged glances.

"What?" Jake asked. Gibbs lightly cuffed the back of Jake's head. "What was that for?"

"You've only just met Tony and you're already acting like him!" Gibbs replied

"I haven't just met him; I've known him since he started working with you. HEs only just met me. Besides, you know what they say about learning through watching somebody else" Jake responded

"Observational learning," Ducky supplied,

"Yeah, that one," Jake said

Gibbs raised his eyebrow, "I think you've spent too much time around Abby,"

Jake smiled, "Thank you for noticing,"

* * *

Later in the day, Tony and Kate stopped by to see how Jake was doing. When they walked into the room, they saw that Gibbs was asleep in the bedside chair, snoring softly, and Jake was lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling. He turned over and watched them standing in the doorway. He put his finger to his lips, "Don't wake dad, he's hardly slept,"

Tony and Kate walked into the room quietly. Kate put a cup of coffee in front of Gibbs, before grabbing a spare chair and sitting down.

Jake frowned, "You guys bring me anything?"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Like? Coffee?"

"Well, yeah, coffee and chocolate, strong and hot" Jake replied

Kate rolled her eyes, "That doesn't really surprise me"

Jake studied Kate and Tony for a while, "So, when are you two gonna have kids?"

Kate raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth in shock whilst Tony wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at Kate, making Jake laugh.

"When are you gonna get married? Can I be the best man?" Jake asked

"We haven't really planned that far ahead yet," Kate replied

Jake didn't miss the look that Tony passed Kate's way.

"So, how do you know so much about us anyway?" Tony asked

"You mean, apart from Gibbs talking about you?" Jake asked

"Oooh, what does he say?" Tony asked eagerly

Jake grinned, "I can't tell you that, it's on a need-to-know basis. And of course, I spend a lot of time with Abby and Ducky, and if you haven't noticed already, they love to talk,"

"Well, you seem to know a lot about us, why don't you tell us about you?" Kate asked

"Okay," Jake said, taking a deep breath, "My name is Matthew Jake Gibbs, I'm eleven, my dad is Leroy Jethro and has a thing for red-heads"

Kate smirked as Tony chuckled.

"I play baseball and love boats; I love the boat dad's building. Once it's done, we're gonna go sailing everywhere," Jake continued

Tony frowned, "Have you thought about how you're gonna get it out of the basement?"

Jake raised his eyebrow, "Tony, my man, it's the process that counts, not the end product. Besides, we figure we can knock out one of the walls and put up a ramp"

"God, you love it as much as he does," Kate commented

Jake grinned, "Yeah. I love coffee and chocolate. I love Chinese and pizza. What else do ya wanna know?"

"Coffee?" Gibbs mumbled, waking up and taking in his surroundings

"Yeah, just there, Gibbs," Kate said, showing him the coffee

He grabbed it and downed half the cup. He blinked and looked around, "So, what's new?"

Jake grinned and leant forward to whisper in Gibbs' ear, "Tony wants to propose to Kate, she has no idea," then leant back against the pillows, grinning widely

"Yeah, I know," Gibbs commented, smirking at the looks on Kate and Tony's faces.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs said

"Yeah, boss?" Tony asked

"About what we were discussing last night. My answer is yes" Gibbs told him, looking into Tony's eyes

Tony frowned, then understanding dawned on him and he grinned, "Thanks, boss,"

"Would somebody mind filling me in here?" Kate asked

"Later, sweetie," Tony responded, Kate grumbled

Jake yawned, "You know what movie this reminds me of?"

Tony raised his eyebrows as Gibbs rolled his, "What?"

"Conspiracy Theory" Jake replied

"Why?" Tony asked

"The title. Never really understood the movie though," Jake responded, closing his eyes

"Go to sleep, Jake," Gibbs said softly

"I was planning to," Jake replied, getting comfortable on the bed, before falling asleep

"He's cute," Kate said to Gibbs,

"Thanks," Gibbs said, smiling widely

"Yeah, he's a great kid, boss," Tony agreed

Gibbs beamed at them, "Yeah, he is,"

Tony smiled and put his arm around Kate, "Wanna join us for lunch?"

Gibbs shook his head, "No, I'll stay here, incase he wakes. Have a good time,"

"Will do," Tony responded

As they walked out, Tony turned around to see Gibbs give him the thumbs up

* * *

That's it for chapter 28!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you think 


	29. Chapter 29

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Sorry about the long wait, I was kind of stuck for ideas... and eventually this came to me, hope it's okay...

Thankyou for the reviews!

Also a huge thankyou to Kate!

* * *

Tony and Kate sat in a semi-formal, semi-casual restaurant, trying to decide what to order. Well, at least that was what Kate was doing…

"You know, Tony, I would've been happy to have lunch at McDonalds or some other fast-food restaurant" Kate commented

"Yeah, well, wasn't it you who told me to eat better?" Tony asked, "Besides, a fast-food outlet would hardly have been appropriate"

Kate frowned, "Appropriate for what?"

Tony frowned, looking more intently at the menu, but not seeing anything, "Nothing,"

Kate raised her eyebrows, "Okay then,"

A waiter came to the table, asking if they were ready to order.

"Ah, not yet," Kate replied

"Okay, do you want to order drinks now?" the waiter asked

"Yeah, I'll have an orange juice," Kate replied, looking at Tony

Tony raised his eyebrows, "You don't want a wine?"

"It's the middle of the day, Tony. Besides, we have to go back to work" Kate replied

"Nah, we're having the rest of the day off," Tony responded, then looked at the waiter and pointed to a wine on the list, "Could we get this one?"

"Of course," the waiter replied before taking the list and walking away

Kate frowned and looked at Tony, "What was that about?"

"Just wanted this to be perfect," Tony replied

"What are you talking about, Tony?" Kate asked

Tony bit his lip, "Not yet, Kate, I'll tell you later. Have you decided what to eat?"

Kate frowned, "Not yet, have you?"

"I'm gonna have the steak," Tony replied

Kate sighed, "I might have the fish,"

"Here's your wine, sir," the waiter said, holding out the bottle and reading the label. Tony nodded at the man, who unscrewed the cork and poured a small amount into Tony and Kate's glasses. They had a sip and nodded again. The waiter poured their drinks and left the bottle on the table, "Are you ready to order now?"

Kate and Tony ordered their meals and waited for the waiter to disappear again.

"Tony, what's going on? You're acting strangely" Kate told him

"Yeah, well, given the circumstances, you would be too" Tony replied

"What circumstances? Why does this have to be perfect? And what does it have to be appropriate for?" Kate hissed

Tony took a deep breath, "This'll all be explained soon, let's just wait till our meals arrive, please?"

Kate sighed and nodded. The two waited in an uncomfortable silence until the waiter returned with their meals, "The steak," he said, placing Tony's meal in front of him. "And the fish," he said, putting Kate's meal in front of her. "Enjoy your meals, if you need anything, just sing out," he smiled and walked away

"Okay, now will you tell me?" Kate asked anxiously

Tony smiled and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Slowly he got up from his seat and knelt next to Kate's chair. He knelt on one knee and dug around in his pocket, then smiled up at Kate.

"Caitlin Amanda Todd, will you marry me?" Tony asked, holding out the box with the ring in it

"Oh my god," Kate whispered, her eyes watering over, "This is what this has been about?". Tony nodded, "It's just beautiful. Tony, I would love to marry you"

Tony smiled broadly and hugged Kate, feeling the tears running down her face onto his shoulder, "I love you, Kate,"

Kate pulled out of the hug with a smile to rival his own, "I love you, Tony,"

* * *

Gibbs slung Jake's backpack over his shoulder and opened the passenger door for him, helping him out of the car.

"I can walk, dad," Jake protested as he got to his feet and grabbed the crutches from inside the car

"I know, I just…" Gibbs explained

"Are feeling over-protective over me at the moment," Jake interrupted, "I know, dad. You act the same way after you've had a rough case or one involving a kid"

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed, frowning, "I just don't want to lose you again,"

Jake smiled and leant on his crutches, "Well, I won't be going anywhere fast,"

Gibbs grinned, "Come on,"

Jake used the crutches, hobbling up the steps, with Gibbs to his side and just behind him, incase he fell. When they got inside, Gibbs dumped the bag at the bottom of the staircase and went to put on the pot of coffee.

Jake grinned broadly, "Yes, give me coffee,"

Gibbs returned the expression and pulled two cups from the cupboard. He sighed and leant against the counter, watching his son.

"What?" Jake asked, "You're scaring me,"

"Thought you couldn't be scared," Gibbs replied.

Jake grinned, then frowned, "Dad, you got a new coffee pot?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied, without changing his expression, "I broke the old one when I realised where you were,"

Jake's expression softened, "You must've been scared out of your mind,"

"I think that's the understatement of the year, I was terrified," Gibbs told him, then scoffed, "Hell, I could barely even function. Ducky babysat me for the better half of the week, even took me to work with him,"

"Really?" Jake asked

"Yeah," Gibbs said, "Really,"

Gibbs made the coffees, putting chocolate in Jake's, just how he liked it. Jake grinned and took the cup gladly.

"You'll be sleeping in the spare room till you can walk without the crutches," Gibbs told him in a voice that brooked no argument

Jake groaned, "Do I have to?"

"Yeah, you do," Gibbs replied, leveling his eyes at him

"But the bed is all lumpy," Jake argued

Gibbs cocked his head to the side, "I'll bring your bed down then, you can sleep in your bed, with your pillow and everything,"

Jake smiled and nodded, "What about the basement?"

Gibbs shook his head, "Same applies, you can't go down there till you can walk,"

"Well if I can't work on the boat, neither can you," Jake told him, "It's only fair,"

Gibbs thought about the proposition for a moment, before smiling and rubbing the top of Jake's head, "I think I can live with that, I'll get to spend more time with you"

Jake frowned, "Dad, you already spend heaps of time with me, if you spent any more time you'd be crowding me, cramping my style"

"Couldn't have that now, could we?" Gibbs replied, "Say, feel like going on a holiday?"

* * *

That's it for chapter 29!...Hope you liked it! PLEASE review! Tell me what you thought, did you hate it? love it?... 


	30. Chapter 30

**Unearthed Secrets**

AN: Sorry about the wait, I was stuck for ideas again...but I finally got some inspiration

Thankyou for the reviews!

Also a huge thankyou to Kate!

* * *

Tony and Kate walked into the bullpen, holding hands. 

"McGee! Get everybody in the lab, including Gibbs" Tony told him

"You want me to call Gibbs in?" McGee asked in disbelief

"That's what I said, Probie," Tony replied

McGee narrowed his eyes at Tony as he picked up the phone, "What's this about?"

"Tell him he's needed here urgently," Tony responded

Kate frowned, "No, tell him we have to tell him something and we'd like him to be here for it,"

"Here for what?" a voice from the entrance to the bullpen asked

Kate and Tony turned around to see Gibbs standing there with Jake standing next to him. Both of them held cups from star bucks.

"You heard the man," Jake told them, taking a sip from his cup

Tony frowned at Jake, "Ah, boss, we're having a meeting,"

"Okay," Gibbs said, nodding, "Lead the way,"

Gibbs took the cup from Jake so he could grip his crutches. Tony led the way to the elevator with Kate at his side. They held open the doors as Jake got in, followed by Gibbs and McGee.

"What's this about, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked

"You'll see," Kate replied

Gibbs arched his eyebrow, then grinned, having already jumped to the conclusion. They filed out of the elevator and walked into the lab.

Abby turned around on her chair as she heard the doors open, "Boss-man! Jake!" she shouted, then hugged them both

"Hey, Abs," they said in unison

"This is just weird," Tony mumbled

"Abigail, have you seen my…?" Ducky asked as he entered the room, "Ah, it seems we have company," Ducky greeted the team

"It seems so, Duck-man, what do you think we should do with them?" Abby asked, conspiratorially

"Offer them congratulations?" Kate remarked with a smile

"We're getting married," Tony clarified

"Oh my god!" Abby squealed, jumping up and down, then ran forward to hug Kate

"Congratulations, my boy," Ducky said warmly, shaking Tony's hand, he then kissed Kate and hugged her, "Best wishes, Caitlin,"

"Thank you, Ducky" Kate replied

McGee shook Tony's hand and hugged Kate, congratulating them both. Tony approached Gibbs, holding his hand out, which Gibbs took, then hugged him, "Congratulations, DiNozzo,"

Gibbs hugged Kate as Abby hugged Tony.

Abby sighed, "So, what now? Is it too early to have lunch and something to eat?"

"I'm buying," Ducky responded

"Wait. We haven't finished the announcements yet," Gibbs interrupted them

"You're getting married as well, boss?" McGee asked

Jake scoffed, "He won't be getting married again, he swore that off after the last one,"

Gibbs grinned and softly cuffed him over his head, "No, I'm not getting married again, McGee,"

"Well, what then?" Abby asked

The room descended into silence as everybody waited for Gibbs to speak. "Tony, I want to congratulate you on your promotion" Gibbs finally spoke

"What promotion?" Tony asked, although he had an idea

"To team leader. You are a fantastic agent, one of the best I've had the pleasure of working with and the way you handled yourself whilst I was away…" Gibbs replied

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, rewind. You're resigning?" Abby asked, slightly panicked

"No" Gibbs said, looking at Abby and shaking his head, "I'm retiring. I get a nice package and everything. I wanna spend more time with my son, get to know him better, be a better dad"

"But you're a great dad already, Gibbs," Abby protested

"Yeah, well, I feel I could do a better job if I wasn't so tied up here," Gibbs explained

"But you can't leave us, Boss-man" Abby insisted

"You all know where I live; you're more than welcome to see me. And if you need me, I can come and help out, on a supervisory role or something" Gibbs told them

"But, who will bring me caf-Pow!s?" Abby asked

"Tony will" Gibbs replied

"What if he doesn't? What if he refuses to? You know I can't function without them" Abby whined

"Then slap him on the upside of his head" Gibbs told her calmly

"Hey!" Tony exclaimed

"Kate can kiss it better for you," Jake interrupted

"Hey!" Tony repeated

"What I do with Tony is our business," Kate commented suggestively

"Ew!" Jake said, disgusted, scrunching up his face

"So, something to eat?" Ducky interrupted

"Absolutely!" Abby replied

* * *

"So, everything's gonna change now," McGee commented as the waiter brought a tray of drinks

"Not everything," Gibbs responded, taking a sip of his soft drink, "All that's really gonna change is I'll be there less often,"

"What about the dynamics of the team?" McGee asked

"Yeah, they'll have nobody to keep them in line, doing their work and behaving themselves," Jake agreed, "I'll do it!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Jake's right though, you all complement each other. The only role I played was to help lead you through cases and keep you focused,"

"That's not true, Gibbs, you're a great asset to the team, and you did more than just keep us focused," Kate argued

"Whilst I value the compliment, Kate…" Gibbs protested

"Oh, stop being so modest, Jethro," Ducky interrupted, "The team will be different without you"

"Well, I'm not really leaving, Ducky," Gibbs said, "More like, I'll be spending less time at work and more at home. I'm taking on less responsibility, more of a direction sideways"

"And we can call you in at any time?" Tony asked

"Yeah, well, within reason. Which I'm sure, you won't have any trouble finding a reason," Gibbs replied, "Tony, you'll do great. Why do you think you were promoted and I didn't get another agent to fill the spot?"

Tony sighed, "I guess,"

"And we can drop by whenever we want?" Abby asked

"Yeah," Gibbs replied with a smile

"Whenever you want," Jake agreed

"And you'll come to the wedding?" Kate asked

"You'd better believe it," Gibbs responded

"When are you guys having kids? I forgot what your answer was" Jake asked

"Jake," Gibbs growled

"That depends," Kate replied

"On what? You want kids?" Jake asked, then turned to Tony, "Do you?"

Tony turned to Kate, "Yeah, one day,"

Abby started whooping, giving Jake a high-five. Kate smiled at Tony.

Jake turned to McGee, "And when are you going to propose?"

"To?" McGee asked, frowning. Abby glared at McGee. "To Abby? We're really not the marrying type,"

"Why don't you let Abby decide that?" Jake asked

"Jake!" Gibbs growled, taping him over the upside of his head

"Okay, I'll be good," Jake finally relented, after narrowing his eyes at McGee

Ducky smiled and held up his glass, "I propose a toast," he announced, then looked around the table at everybody's faces, "To the future and everything it holds,"

"The future," they all responded in unison, holding up their own glasses.

* * *

Finished... I hope you liked it and enjoyed the ride as much as I did! 

Thankyou all for your reviews, you have been great!


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